


Coming Home

by BunnyBean



Category: Tennis no Oujisama | Prince of Tennis
Genre: Angst, Complete, Drama, F/M, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-11
Updated: 2012-10-11
Packaged: 2017-11-16 02:20:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 23,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/534405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BunnyBean/pseuds/BunnyBean
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Her heart had been aching for so long, she'd almost forgot the happiness being around him gave her. At the start of high school, Sakuno is forced to leave Seigaku. Trying to move on proves to be impossible. Happy Ending.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Coming Home**

By: Bunny

Rated: Teen 15 and up

Genre: Romance, Drama

Summary: RyoSaku. At the start of high school, Sakuno is forced to leave Seigaku. Trying to move on proves to be impossible.

* * *

Chapter One

* * *

Despondent, Ryuzaki Sakuno dragged the heels of her feet against the sidewalk as she wandered around. She had no idea where she was. She figured she was probably still in the greater Tokyo area somewhere, but at this point, she just didn't care.

How did she end up like this? With this life? With this problem? Stuck in this... _horror_  created by others?

_She should have known better._

She should never have even tried to make it work, to try to find happiness, to try something new. She never should have  _thought_  it might work.  _What had she been thinking?_  That things would really work out with the so-called 'prince?' Of course it was going to end. Of course it was going to go wrong and blow up in her face.

Why, oh why, did he have to do that? Why did he have to say those things?  _He wasn't a real prince, that's why._ How had she allowed herself to ever imagine it was  _possible_  that he could really be a prince? That he could ever...replace... _him_.

Well, not completely,  _that_  really was impossible, but just the...

Tears gathered in her eyes at the thought of  _him_...

_Ryoma-kun._

Ryoma-kun would  _never_  do something like this. Well, obviously...he was the  _very private_  type.

_She knew that much first hand._

Oh, but this mess her life was in! Wretched, wretched mess!

How had this happened to her? Could she have possibly somehow avoided this?

_Where had it started?_

She looked up at the darkening clouds gathering above her and wondered over her situation. Had it started when Grandma had moved away? Yes, certainly that was the very start of it, wasn't it?

Or was it further back than that? Was it when she'd gone to the US Open with Ryoma-kun a year and a half ago? _When they'd..._

She shook her head. If she was going to go back that far, then she might as well go to _the very beginning_ , when she  _met_  Ryoma-kun the day he saved her from the boys on the train. Was that it? Was that when it  _really_  started? After all, if she wasn't in love with Ryoma-kun, this wouldn't have been a problem, right?

She took a deep breath and let out a big sigh.

This wasn't like her.

Ryuzaki Sakuno, she wasn't the type to give up. She wasn't the type to give in, and she  _definitely_  wasn't the type to blame others. This  _had_  to be her fault. Like Akihiko-kun - no... _like Nishimura-san_  had said,  _she was asking for it._

Right?

Though, honestly,  _she wasn't asking for it._  She wasn't! _She wasn't!_

There  _had been_  a lot of decisions though, a lot of choices she'd made, ones that if she'd chosen differently, she wouldn't be here...in this place...with this life.

Alone.

Scared.

Lost.

She shivered as the temperature dropped.  _Was it supposed to rain today?_  She looked up once again at the darkening sky.

_Bring it._  The clouds matched her mood after all. Her life was so messed up right now, what harm could a little bit of rain do? In fact, it might just comfort her in the misery loves company kind of comfort.

_She could have stayed with Grandma._

Sakuno had been really happy for her grandmother when she'd been offered a very high paying top coaching position for an elite tennis team in Hong Kong. The timing was right, as the last of the dream team, or rather _Echizen Ryoma_  was graduating from middle school and moving on to the high school team next term. The only problem was, it left Sakuno with the option of moving to Hong Kong with her grandmother or moving back in with her parents. Either choice was away from Seishun Gakuen. Grandma rented her house, and her parents couldn't afford to keep it for the sake of Sakuno staying at Seigaku for high school. Her parents lived in another prefecture of the greater Tokyo area, so even commuting to Seigaku would be too much, either way it was going to be a big change. So it was back home with her parents, or go to Hong Kong with Grandma.

Hong Kong had seemed  _too daunting_. A new country, a new city, a new language, and for what? Just to stay away from her parents longer? She was a little older now that middle school was over. She could handle the lack of attention that came with living with them. It  _had_  to be better than going to China...right?

Or so she had thought.

Moving back to her parents' house had been almost like completely starting over anyways. Sure it wasn't a new country and a new language, but everything else was all new. No-one from her grade school was at her new high school. So much for the theory of being back in the old neighborhood with her old friends.

She was away from Seigaku, at a new school, with a new prince.

_She hadn't been looking for a new prince._  She already had one, even if they were separated, even if she'd probably never see him again. Take her heart out and have a good look at it, and she was pretty sure it had  _Echizen Ryoma_ branded into it. Three years of her world revolving around the young tennis prodigy would do that to a girl. Especially since...

_Well, did that really even count anymore with where she was at now?_

_...did anything?_

She let out a big sigh as her thoughts swirled into depression. Just thinking about...him. The new prince in her life.

_Nishimura Akihiko._

The prince of her high school...he had lived up to his name, 'shining prince.' Or rather, she had thought that he did. At first anyways. She'd been just as charmed by him as everybody else.

All the girls referred to him as their prince. The prince, their prince, their shining prince Akihiko-sama. It was with good reason they called him the prince of their school though. Similarly to her first prince Ryoma-kun, Akihiko-kun was smart, ridiculously good-looking, popular, and a prodigy athlete. That's however, where the similarities ended. Unlike Ryoma-kun Nishimura Akihiko was always smiling. He was friendly, outgoing, and flirty.  _Super flirty._  He loved girls and he was very open with his admiration of them.

_She would never forget the day they met._

It was the first day of high school, and she was running late. Not because she hadn't left home with enough time to get to school, but because she'd gotten lost three times already that morning trying to get there!  _So much for remembering the old neighborhood._  Things had either changed a lot in the last three years, or she had simply forgotten a lot.  _Or, maybe she was as bad at directions as Ryoma-kun always accused her of being._

It was as she was running through the school gate just in the nick of time when she'd stepped on the back of someone's shoe, unable to stop her momentum quickly enough to avoid it.  _At least she hadn't collided into the back of him and taken him out._

"Hey!" Akihiko had cried as he'd spun around to face her, glaring as he hobbled on his bad shoe.

Sakuno's eyes had widened in surprise. She quickly bowed multiple times, "I'm so sorry, it was an accident, please forgive me," She said over and over again.

A large hand gently landed on the crown of her head, effectively stopping her from her frantic bows, "Don't worry about it, beautiful."

Beautiful?

What?  _Her?_

No-one had ever called her beautiful before. Baffled, Sakuno raised her head back up, and finally took a good look at the boy she'd ran into.

He had dark brown hair with a slight burgundy tint to it, and chestnut colored eyes, not unlike her own, and a friendly smile  _with dimples_.

Wow.

_He was adorable._

Wouldn't it just figure she'd have a bad first impression on her first day of high school with the cutest guy in the school? Dig a hole and just bury her, on the spot!

Realizing she was staring at him, she flushed red and flustered, "Really, I'm so sorry about your shoe!"

He had dismissed her embarrassed apology with a wave of his hand. "What's your name?" He asked as he bent over and fixed the heel of his shoe.

"Ryuzaki Sakuno," She replied.

"What year are you in, Sakuno-san?" He asked friendlily.

"First year," She answered.

"Me too!" He pointed to himself enthusiastically, "I'm Nishimura Akihiko, nice to meet you. Let's be friends."

Sakuno bowed once again, "Nice to meet you, Nisihimura-san."

As she looked back up he was waving his hand back and forth, "Please, call me Akihiko." Smile.  _Dimples and all._

_Oh my..._

Utterly charmed, Sakuno had smiled back, "Okay, Akihiko-san."

He grinned at her, "I hope we're in the same classroom."

"Un," Sakuno agreed with a nod.

The two resumed their walk into the school together, discovered they were indeed assigned to the same classroom, changed to their school shoes and walked to their classroom together. All the while Akihiko had maintained a dialogue of questions, while also sharing facts about himself: He'd grown up in the area, he had two older brothers, he played baseball and was joining the team today, his favorite color was blue, his birthday was in November...

Sakuno was actually a little overwhelmed by how open he was with someone whom was practically a perfect stranger to him.

She found him to be...rather irresistible.

As a friend. Nothing more than a friend, adorable prince or not.

Again,  _Echizen Ryoma_...it was  _burned_  into her heart.

Still, Nishimura Akihiko gave her hope. Hope that high school in her old prefecture wouldn't be so bad after all - and it wasn't.

They'd sat together towards the back of the class, and it had been the start of what Sakuno had thought was going to be a long lasting beautiful friendship.

Oh...if she'd only known.

And there was another choice.

She could have not made friends with Nishimura-san.

Yeah... _right_. Like she could have resisted being friends with him! That much at least, she could honestly say was just downright ridiculous. Who wouldn't be friends with the cutest, friendliest, smartest, and most popular guy in the whole school?

...right.

At least there was that.


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Lime, Nudity, Sexual Violence, Strong Language - since I forgot to include this on chapter one. Also, this story is a more drama/angst/romance than my usual comedy/romance stories, in fact, this story is very different from all my other RyoSaku fics. It's VERY RyoSaku only romance though, it's just a more dark romance take for our dear couple. Still - there is a happy ending! ;D

**Coming Home**

By: Bunny

Rated: Teen 15 and up

Genre: Romance, Drama

Summary: RyoSaku. At the start of high school, Sakuno is forced to leave Seigaku. Trying to move on proves to be impossible.

* * *

Chapter Two

* * *

Sakuno hadn't been happy about moving away from Seigaku and her friends from middle school, but Akihiko-kun had made the pain lessen by quickly becoming her best friend at her high school. Of course, she missed being with Tomo-chan everyday something terrible. She also missed being awed by Ryoma-kun and the other tennis regulars everyday, but all in all, life at her new school and living with her parents again wasn't so bad.

She'd kept up with her tennis, despite the lack of Ryoma-kun and the others from the dream team in her life, but beyond that she wouldn't have had anything else if it hadn't been for Akihiko-kun. His friends became her friends, his fans became her fans, she supported his baseball games, he supported her tennis tournaments, she even found a close girl friend in his childhood friend, Kobayashi Kaori. Of course, she still called Tomo-chan everyday, but having Kaori around at school had been a lifesaver of female companionship for her.

In this way her first year of high school began to pass by. Spring turned into summer, summer turned into fall, and before Sakuno knew it, it was time for the cultural festival. She was really looking forward to the cultural festival. After all, the school prince Akihiko-kun was in her class, so they were pretty much guaranteed to have the most visitors to whatever they decided to do. Even more exciting was that after the cultural festival, they were going to have their first big high school party.

To their everlasting advantage, Kaori's family worked overseas, so she lived by herself. Needless to say it was customary for their smaller group of usual friends to hang out at Kaori's whenever they were all getting together. The night of the cultural festival had been no different sans the much larger amount of people present. In fact, though they'd planned to throw a fairly large party it had turned into oh...probably the whole school and then some were there type of party. Since Akihiko-kun was one of the group throwing the party  _everybody_  wanted to go to it and  _everybody_  certainly did - invited officially or not.

_That was when her happy high school life did a 180 on her._

Akihiko-kun had always been a flirt. Sakuno had noticed he flirted with her more often than other girls, but she'd always assumed it was because he spent more time in her company. If only it had been that...if only.

At the party somehow, Sakuno and Akihiko had ended up alone in one of the upstairs bedrooms. With the noise from the party below Akihiko had turned to her with his usual flirty grin before he'd slammed the door shut.

"So what's going on, Akihiko-kun?" Sakuno had asked.  _Surely, it must be some big secret her best friend was excited to tell her about! Ohh...maybe he finally got a girlfriend!_

Instead of responding though, he'd swooped in on her personal space, grabbed the back of her neck and tilted her head up to capture her lips. In the nick of time, Sakuno had realized what was happening and turned her face away just enough that he'd kissed her chin instead.

He pulled away from her with a shocked look on his face, "What?"

Sakuno's eyes had widened as her mind began to whirl in panic, "What, _what?"_

_Akihiko-kun, the school prince, drop dead irresistibly cute male and her best friend at her new school had just tried to kiss her and she'd refused!_

_This couldn't be happening!_

"What do you mean, what,  _what_? What's your problem?" He'd asked.

Sakuno shook her head, "I-I don't understand."

"Don't you  _like_  me?" He asked.

Sakuno had quickly nodded, "Of course, Akihiko-kun."

He moved to grab her again, but she backed away a step, putting her hands in front of her like a shield she said, "You're  _my friend_ , I...um... _have someone_." She looked away and blushed in embarrassment. Well, she didn't  _exactly_ have someone...

"Sakuno. Don't play games with me. We've been dancing around this for months. Besides, everybody expects it," Akihiko had said, and oh, he'd suddenly looked very unlike the Akihiko-kun she'd always known. He looked serious and he looked angry.

_Why was this happening? This wasn't really happening was it? It was just a bad dream, or...or Akihiko-kun was playing a bad joke on her...or...or-_

She took a hesitant step towards the door, "Let's get back to the party Akihiko-kun."

He moved to block her path, and grabbing onto her wrist he said, " _You know_  how many girls would love to be in your place right now." It wasn't even a question, it was a statement.

Sakuno's mouth opened in shock.

_He was seriously going to come back at her with that?_  She knew he was considered to be the school's prince, the guy all the girls wanted to date, but that didn't really mean they ALL really did want to date him! Insulted, she twisted her wrist to pull it from his grasp, but his grip tightened.

_Ouch._

"Akihiko-kun, there's someone else, please understand!"

This was quickly escalating from bad to worse and Sakuno's alarms had gone from slight panic to full blown emergency status. Why did he have to decide he wanted  _her_  of all people when he had his pick of the girls in the school?  _Couldn't they just stay good friends?_

_"You dirty, filthy tease!_ " He spat against her face as his grip on her wrist tightened further.

Sakuno flinched, smelling the alcohol on his breath from the party. She was pretty sure her fingers were starting to go numb. She wriggled her wrist more forcefully despite the increased pain from the pressure of his firm hold on her, and said with more bravado than she felt, _"Akihiko-kun, you're drunk and you don't know what you're saying! Just let me go!"_

He flung her wrist away, and as she dashed towards the door, he grabbed her by her waist. Spinning her around, he pushed her down on the bed in the middle of the room and climbed on top of her. He pushed his weight into her body to restrain her and started trying to kiss her again.

_"NO!"_  Sakuno screamed in terror. She tried kicking her legs to get him off of her and moved her head from side to side violently to keep him from kissing her.

He yelled to her as they struggled, "You  _SLUT_! You're  _really_  going to  _deny me_?  _ME?_  You're  _nothing_  without me Sakuno,  _you better think about this!"_ He gripped her wrists tightly above her head in one hand as the other hand roughly slid under her shirt.

Feeling his rough hands on her bare abdomen, Sakuno screamed bloody murder. She'd never screamed so hard in her life!

Oh it was pointless, the party was so noisy, nobody would ever hear her! As no help came, she began to beg and whimper as his free hand roamed over her wiggling form, trying to touch her in places it had no business being in. "No!  _Please_!  _Stop_! I don't want this,  _I don't want this!"_

"Shut up! Stop moving!" He shook her whole body with forcefulness, trying to rattle her into submission.

She started bawling her eyes out in earnest and great sobbing wails escaped her throat. He was breaking her... _he was breaking her heart._  He'd been her dearest friend and now this was her reward?

_"Ak-Aki-Akihiko-kun,"_  She choked between wracking sobs, "D-don't, don't,  _please_ , don't."

Suddenly, he was off of her.

Sakuno watched him through her watery eyes as he towered over her, standing next to the bed, giving her a look filled with hate and disgust. He kicked at the bed, rattling the frame to the side. She shrieked in fright as she covered her face with her arms, and pulled her knees up to her chest.  _He was definitely going to climb on top of her again, wasn't he?_

"We're _through,_  Ryuzaki," He declared. He spun on his heel, opened the door and strutted out of the room as if he owned the place, as if he had done nothing wrong. As if the whole disaster had been all her, as if he hadn't just...just...

_...just..._

Sakuno rolled off of the bed and cowered on the floor, hiding behind the side of the bed, she curled into a ball. She wiped her tears with her hands, relieved that he'd stopped, but feeling a type of numbness come over her.

_It was okay_ , she consoled herself. Everything was going to be okay, somehow,  _everything would be okay_. It was just a really, really bad dream. Right. Everything would be okay. It had to be. She'd go to school on Monday and it would be as if none of this bad stuff had ever happened.

* * *

_Everything had NOT been okay._

Sure she'd kept her innocence, but she hadn't kept her reputation. Akihiko had made a point of telling anybody who would listen that they'd hooked up at Kaori's party. Being the school's prince, of course,  _everybody_ wanted to listen and _everybody believed him._  Nobody ever dreamed that their prince could be turned down, nobody would ever believe the truth even if she tried to tell them.

_Everybody had expected it_  after all, they'd been inseparable for months. They'd been flirting for months. At least, that's what they told her when they were either congratulating her for her big score, or threatening her for taking what wasn't hers.

In the end, it was all about perception. Perception is reality and her 'reality' was now being the prince's discarded plaything. Oh yes, according to Akihiko they hadn't just hooked up at the party after the cultural festival, he'd dumped her as well.

If that wasn't bad enough the double impact was that she'd lost her best friend at her new school. Akihiko wouldn't so much as look at her, unless he was making some obscene gesture to his friends about her. Kaori still spent time with her, but even time spent with Kaori was awkward or filled with lectures to stop fighting with Akihiko-kun, _because it wasn't cute. It wouldn't bring him back to her._

As if. As if she wanted him back! As if she wanted him in the first place! NO, it was because  _she didn't want him_ that it was like this.

_It was hell._

It was a special kind of hell where the most popular, good looking, good at everything boy in the school spread lies about deflowering you and leaving you to fend for yourself - come what may in the way of what the rest of the students would throw at you.

Sakuno didn't even know what to do, so she'd suffered in silence. She'd managed to tough it out while Kaori had continued their awkward friendship. For a couple of months, she'd  _really tried_  to not let it get to her, to be the better person. To keep her mouth shut and her head down, and just try to somehow ride out the rest of the school year. She told herself that this too would pass, just like any other bad thing that had ever happened to her.

For a few months, she put up with the name-calling, the other guys making rude sexual passes at her, the girls calling her a slut or a whore or whatever other names they came up with. Even worse, the Akihiko fanclub girls had taken to bullying her out of jealousy or protectiveness since she was snubbing Akihiko now, she wasn't sure which, maybe it depended on what girl it was; either way it didn't really matter what their motives were.  _It was the things they did to her._

Destroyed shoes, frayed umbrellas, shredded gym clothes, direct confrontations where she was pushed, slapped and punched. She was constantly being set up as the scapegoat in any mischief or wrongdoings they were trying to get away with as well. She was constantly in and out of the principal's office and the nurse's office.

_It was the worst._

It wasn't until sometime after her birthday in January that even Kaori had left her, being sick of being pulled in two directions between her friends, she'd finally fully sided with Akihiko, her childhood friend.

No longer having any form of protection, everything had come to a head today as some of the Akihiko fanclub members had cornered her with scissors and tried to cut her hair. She had somehow managed to get away, losing only a bit of length on one of the ends, and getting a cut across the side of her arm for her efforts.

It had been the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back. She'd ran from the school,  _and ran, and ran, and kept running._  She'd boarded train after train, not paying any attention to where she was going, so long as it was  _away_. Further away. Away from  _them_. That was it, she was gone, she would  _never_  go back. She was 16 now, she could get a job, and just forget that life, it was no good.

She looked down at the red, angry cut on her arm and grimaced in pain. It could be worse she mused as the clouds finally opened up and began pouring cold water on her. The few pedestrians that had been on the sidewalk in the cold weather quickly disappeared. Alone, cold and wet, she looked up at the rain, and cried with it. With great long heaving tears, and her eyes heavenward, she wept with nature. Her high school life, her happy life, her golden days were over,  _it was all over, it was all gone._  The good times really, were long, long gone - _stored away somewhere at her Grandmother's place and Seishun Gakuen Middle School._

What would she do with her life now?

Finally, utterly soaked the bone, she shivered a bit, but still didn't duck for cover. Somehow this lonely rain was comforting her and for some inexplicable reason, she didn't have the courage to leave the comfort of the rain. Allowing the tears to continue to fall from her eyes she felt that she could never have a lower point in her life than this.

That was when it happened...

_"Ryuzaki?"_


	3. Chapter Three

**Coming Home**

By: Bunny

Rated: Teen 15 and up

Genre: Romance, Drama

Summary: RyoSaku. At the start of high school, Sakuno is forced to leave Seigaku. Trying to move on proves to be impossible.

* * *

Chapter Three

* * *

Echizen Ryoma's first year of high school had been...weird.

He'd been used to things being a certain way since he'd moved to Japan at the beginning of middle school. It was a routine of go to school, practice tennis, play tennis with the old man, and tournaments on the weekends. There were crazy senpai, know-it-all and know-nothing-at-all classmates, an old lady for a coach and a cute girl with twin braids down her back that was somehow always nearby.

_Sakuno._

That had been the first weird thing. She'd  _disappeared._

After Momo-senpai and Kaidoh-senpai had graduated he'd especially noticed it... _that she was the only one left._  She was the only one besides himself in their year that was...

Well really...she'd been the only non-annoying constant presence in his life since he'd moved to Japan. Being in high school without her?  _Weird_. Being at tournaments without her there?  _Extra weird._  In fact, he didn't know what to do with her being absent.

Okay, so in truth, he'd been sort-of looking forward to high school, and assuming Sakuno would be as well. The two of them were finally going to be reunited with all the old regulars. They were going to be first year students again. It was important, and she was supposed to share that with him, dammit.

Instead, on day one of high school, her loud annoying friend Osakada had approached him and as he'd casually looked around for Sakuno she'd broken the news to him. Coach Ryuzaki had moved to Hong Kong and Sakuno had moved to a faraway prefecture to live with her parents again.

He'd remained outwardly passive at the news as his mind raced. How could she? How could she just leave him like that? Without a word?  _After everything?_  Just thinking about it made his chest twist with pain.  _Betrayal._

Of course... _nobody knew about that..._

_Except them_. Even though they denied it...

_Even to each other._

Didn't mean that it didn't matter or that it didn't... _happen._

Oh, it had started out innocently enough. During the summer of their last year of middle school just before the beginning of their second term, Coach Ryuzaki had asked his parents if Sakuno could accompany him to the US Open. She'd told them how she felt it would be a good experience for Sakuno and that Ryoma would appreciate the support and the company. It would be fine since they were both on summer break. It would be a chance for Sakuno to see the world, and Ryoma wouldn't have to travel alone.

_The kids would be fine alone in New York so long as they stuck together._

As was typical of his parents, they'd quickly agreed with the coach. His old man had actually been rather gleeful at the prospect of his son being forced to "spend two weeks alone with such a cute girl" and had mentioned it at least five times a day until they'd actually left for New York.

He never would have admitted it at the time, but Coach Ryuzaki had been right and he had appreciated her company. In fact, he'd kind-of been counting on Sakuno to go with him to the US Open again. Having her support while participating in such a big tournament, even though it was only the Junior's division had made a difference.

They'd had two fun weeks together in New York, away from their senpai, away from their friends, away from his parents, and away from the coach. It was just the two of them at Flushing Meadows all week playing tennis and hanging out. It had been... _surprisingly perfect._  He'd been hoping for a repeat for every US Open after that.  _Hell, if he had things his way, she'd be with him at every tennis tournament, ever._

It hadn't happened.

Despite that she'd moved away, a part of him had still expected her to show up one day during the summer before the start of their second term of their first year of high school to go with him again, but she hadn't. His fourth year competing in the US Open had come and gone and Ryoma had been forced once again to go alone.

It figured.

Really. What was he expecting after what he did last year? That  _had_  to be it. There couldn't be anything else. He supposed it was okay if she was avoiding him over it, for now...because he didn't want to believe he would really never see her again. That was just...impossible, right? One of these days, the girl was going to just show up and that would be that.  _She was just mad about last year_ , so she hadn't come for the US Open again...that had to be it. Had to be.

He'd never thought she was mad about it before then, but...

The year before when she'd gone with him he had won the Junior's division finals match. All in all it had been a great tournament that year, and he'd felt uncommonly celebratory. The big tournament wins did that to him though - they had a way of making him feel...giddy. Kevin Smith, his self-proclaimed rival had also participated in the Junior's division with him and had invited Ryoma and Sakuno to an after-tournament private party. Normally, Ryoma wouldn't go to parties, especially not ones in America, which tended to get wild, but he'd been on that big tournament win high and sure enough, he'd quickly agreed to go to the party.

At the party, they'd given in to peer pressure and drank the alcohol Kevin had snuck in. Feeling very wicked for young teens the three had all eagerly chugged through a whole bottle, enjoying their first experience with the intoxicating drink. Sakuno had left the two boys to go dance, which had surprised Ryoma, but he figured people did things they didn't normally do when drinking and had leaned back against one of the walls to watch her. He kind-of liked this feeling like all was right with the world and he could do no wrong no matter what he said or did. He stuffed his hands into his short's pockets as Kevin settled next to him.

As the two boys had watched Sakuno bounce around in rhythm with the beat Kevin had pushed his elbow into Ryoma's side and said conspiratorially, "So you hittin' that yet?"

Ryoma's happily inebriated mind came to a full stop.

Wait.  _What did he just say?_  He turned to look at the blond American boy.

Kevin nodded in Sakuno's general direction.

Ryoma gave him a blank look.

"Echizen. Don't tell me you're one of those late bloomers that hasn't noticed girls yet. Especially with that sweet thang hangin' around," Kevin had said as he gestured rudely.

Ryoma pulled the bill of his cap down slightly as he turned back to watching Sakuno dance and mumbled, "I've noticed."

Kevin crowed with delight as he clapped his hands together. "I knew it! Echizen, you dawwwg," He drawled.

Ryoma mentally shook his head. Mada mada...they were only 14,  _what did Kevin think?_  Still, with his pride on the line, and some alcohol in his system he'd gone and opened his mouth.

Kevin nodded in Sakuno's direction yet again as he'd said, "Better make it clear to those animals over there." Dropping his voice lower he said, "It's popular to like Japanese girls here, you know."

Ryoma's head whipped back to Kevin,  _"What?"_

Kevin pointed towards a group of boys they'd competed against in the tournament, "They're totally eyeing her."

Ryoma followed the direction of Kevin's finger and noticed the guys making their way towards Sakuno. Before he knew what he was doing he'd shot across the room and arrived at her side. The boys seemed to have just introduced themselves and Sakuno was struggling to converse back with her horrible English.

"Let's go Ryuzaki," He announced, interrupting her in Japanese.

"Ryoma-kun? Aren't you having fun?" She'd asked and then giggled.

"I'm...tired," He lied.

"Okay," She said. She gave the boys a bow and said in slow slurry English, "Niccce to meeeet yoooou." She turned to leave, but one of them grabbed at her arm.

Sakuno had looked down in shock as the guy had said in English, "Don't leave, we've just met you."

Ryoma pushed the guy's arm away from her, pulled her next to him and said in English, "Leave my girlfriend alone."

"Echizen...she's your  _girlfriend_?" The guy that had grabbed her asked, the surprise evident in his voice.

Putting his arm around Sakuno's shoulders Ryoma said, "Yes."

Clearly, all the boys were impressed that Ryoma had a girlfriend and of course they all had to put in their two cents about how he seemed to do well at everything. Sakuno was blushing and giving confused looks all around, her lack of understanding the conversation obvious.

Changing back to Japanese, Ryoma tugged Sakuno in the direction of the exit and said, "Let's go, Sakuno."

* * *

He hadn't even noticed he'd called her by her given name until she brought it up when they were back in their hotel room.

They'd been sharing a spacious mini suite that had two queen size beds and plenty of room for the both of them to spread out in. As Ryoma had flopped on his bed and picked up the TV remote, Sakuno had wobbly hovered over him, "It made me happy when you called me Sakuno."

Still buzzed from the liquor, Ryoma gave her a mischievous grin and confessed, "I told those guys you were my girlfriend."

Sakuno face-planted onto the bed next to him laughing hysterically. After a minute she picked her head up and between spurts of more laughter choked out,  _"Ryoma-kun, you said that?"_

He laughed with her, still feeling a bit lightheaded from the alcohol and pleased with her reaction.  _Why was he so happy that she wasn't bothered by him saying she was his girlfriend when she wasn't?_ He slid over a bit, making room for her to sit next to him and pet the bed for her to move closer. She'd obeyed and they'd leaned on each other as they laughed at the shows on the TV, Ryoma quickly translating under his breath for her the English.

At one point Sakuno had started cracking up uncontrollably and Ryoma had watched her, mesmerized, enjoying the tinkling sound of her laughter. Noticing him watching her, she'd quieted and stared up at him with her large cinnamon eyes. Ryoma couldn't even hear the TV anymore as he zoned in on the girl watching him watch her. Something about the moment felt right, and without thinking about it, he'd leaned in and met his lips to hers.

_First...kiss..._

* * *

The next thing Ryoma knew, he was waking up the next morning with Sakuno in his arms. He had a headache and he wondered for a second what the girl was doing in his bed until he remembered.

_They'd been kissing._  He'd kissed her, and then he'd kissed her again and then it had just happened. Kissing, touching, curiously exploring. He couldn't believe they'd done those kinds of things, it was more than anything he had ever contemplated happening, not that he really thought about that stuff all that often, but...hmm...

Maybe it had it been the alcohol? Maybe it had been his big tournament win high? Maybe it had been the last opportunity he'd have to be alone with her until who knew when since they were flying back home to Japan today and so he'd just...

As he'd been reliving and trying to rationalize the shocking memories, Sakuno had stirred. Opening her eyes, she'd blinked up at him in confusion. Furrowing her brow she asked, "Ryoma-kun, I slept in your bed?"

Ryoma shrugged as he viciously fought off blushing and began removing his arms from around her small body, "We must have fallen asleep while watching TV."

Sakuno looked at him strangely for a moment. Then her forehead creased further and then cleared, "Ah. Yes.  _The TV."_

_She remembered._

Not knowing what to say or do, he quickly rolled off the bed on his side and went to the bathroom to relieve himself. Closing the door behind him, he leaned back against it and let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

_What had he done?_  Sakuno. _SAKUNO!_  Oh nononononononono. Everything was normal. Same as always.  _They were the same as always,_  nothing changed. Nothing.

_He was too young for this._

* * *

They had returned home that day, and back in Japan they had resumed their normal level of interactions. Neither of them letting on that they'd become so much closer, not only as friends, but also...

In fact, no-one in the school even knew Sakuno had accompanied him to the tournament. Neither of them had ever brought it up to each other or to anybody else. He didn't even think Sakuno had told her loud mouth friend Osakada. Which was good, after all, _it was none of anybody's damn business._

Still, it had changed things for him. Even Sakuno might not have noticed, but from then on, he'd consciously kept at least one eye on her. What she was doing, who she talked to, boys that showed any interest in her were threatened away secretly and he'd never thought of her as just Ryuzaki again. No...she was Sakuno.  _His Sakuno._

He still called her Ryuzaki out loud though. For months they continued going to school together, pretending nothing happened in New York. Their fifteenth birthdays passed, valentine's day and white day passed, spring arrived and with it their third term of their last year of middle school ended and they graduated. After graduating, he'd finally regretted not talking to her about it. During the longest spring break ever before the first term of their first year of high school, he'd resolved to ask her to be his girlfriend, _for real this time._  He was ready.

_He wasn't ready...for her to disappear._ Without a word. Without giving him her new contact information. Without showing up for visits. Seriously. What was her problem? Even if she was pissed off at him for kissing her and then doing nothing, that was over a year ago already so  _where the hell was she?_

As if Sakuno up and disappearing wasn't enough, he  _also wasn't ready_  for his parents to move back to the USA, leaving him in Japan to go to high school on his own with nothing but an allowance to keep him company. They'd explained that now that his cousin Nanako had graduated from university they could get back to his mother's important legal work in the US and he could stay at the temple and go to school on his own for the next three years.

Really?

_That was...was...well, irritating._

He had to do everything now! Cooking, cleaning, laundry, and all for what? What was he really staying in Japan for? He didn't even see Sakuno anymore!  _Where was his perfect high school life?_

The only good thing about this year had been the original tennis team back together again.

Everything else,  _sucked_.

Ryoma opened his umbrella as the sky opened up and began pouring on him.  _Damn the rain was cold in January!_  At least it didn't rain often in Tokyo in January. Just today for whatever reason. It was an angry sky too, and Ryoma watched lightening streak through the dark gray clouds as the day became night. He looked down, keeping a close eye on his steps to avoid any forming puddles and picked up his pace. He'd gone out to pick up something for dinner from the convenience store and had planned on a leisurely walk home, but with this rain, it would be better to get home sooner rather than later.

Glancing up to look ahead to see how much farther it was he stopped dead in his tracks. In the dark twilight and through the blur that comes with rain from a storm, it was difficult to make out her features, but... _there was no mistaking those long auburn braids._  Was she really there, or was he just imagining her because he'd been thinking about her? If she really was there...what was she doing standing in the rain getting soaked to death?

_Mada mada dane..._

"Ryuzaki?" He asked.


	4. Chapter Four

**Coming Home**

By: Bunny

Rated: Teen 15 and up

Genre: Romance, Drama

Summary: RyoSaku. At the start of high school, Sakuno is forced to leave Seigaku. Trying to move on proves to be impossible.

* * *

Chapter Four

* * *

Startled at hearing her name when she was busying angst-ing in who knows where, Sakuno jumped a bit as she tore her eyes away from the sky and met the surprised hazel eyes of... _her real prince._

"Ryoma-kun," She said his name aloud, not even meaning to, it had simply slipped from her mouth. Hearing his name upon her lips, her tears increased. As if things weren't bad enough, now she was hallucinating.  _He must be her imagination._  To be seeing Ryoma-kun at a time like this, of course, she was imagining him.

_After all, it had been almost a year since they'd last seen each other._

She watched dumbly as he ran to her, quickly closing their distance. Within seconds, the rain was blocked out by his umbrella over their heads and Ryoma-kun was surrounding her, his warmth radiated off of him, warming her very soul.  _Oh...oh...it was really him..._ and for some reason, she felt comforted.

Overcome with emotions about Ryoma, she squeezed her eyes shut, unable to stop the tears from falling as she slowly dropped her head into his chest and he put his arm around her back, pulling her into him.

"Ryuzaki..."

Sakuno sniffled before he added, "You're soaking wet."

"Sorry, Ryoma-kun," She choked out.

She felt Ryoma's grip around her squeeze her closer and then loosen as he said, "My house."

He turned Sakuno around and led her as they started walking in the direction of his house. Sakuno rubbed at her eyes and sniffled.

"I can't see Uncle Nanjiro and Auntie Rinko like this," She protested.

"It's just me," Ryoma informed her.

She looked at him with wide eyes, "Ryoma-kun lives alone now?"

He nodded. That was the great thing about Sakuno. Somehow, she always understood what he meant.

They fell into silence as they walked side by side under Ryoma's umbrella. Ryoma was watching her from the sides of his eyes as they walked.  _She seemed different somehow._

Arriving at his house, Ryoma opened the door and let Sakuno in first.

"Sorry to disturb," She said as she numbly slipped off her wet shoes and socks at the entry. Ryoma folded his umbrella up, slipped off his coat, and slid off his shoes as well, before he gathered Sakuno's hand and led her soaked form to the large bathroom in the back of the lower story of the house.

Stopping in the changing area, Ryoma turned to her and watched as she stood there, shivering.

She hadn't made a move to get out of her wet clothes.  _Was she that depressed?_

Without a word, he closed the distance between them and pulled the bottom of her sweater vest up. He grabbed her uniform shirt from underneath it and pulled it out of her school skirt. Yanking the sweater off first, he dropped it on the floor and then began to unbutton her shirt. Sakuno didn't protest, instead lifting her arms up to assist his movements.

She didn't feel she had the energy to get out of the wet clothes herself, so it was a good thing Ryoma had taken on the task. She trusted Ryoma.  _He wasn't like Akihiko._  He wasn't anything like him. Thinking about it brought on a fresh wave of emotion and she sobbed inconsolably as Ryoma quickly tugged at her clothes with deft hands.

Within a few minutes Sakuno was down to her bra and panties. Unable to help himself, Ryoma stared at her body openly. Her crying had subsided a bit and his chest felt stabbed at every sob he heard from her. He really wished she would stop crying. Now that she was down to her underwear all he could think about was touching her and it was making him feel guilty. He took a tentative step closer anyways and touched her sides lightly with his fingertips.

Sakuno quickly closed the distance of their bodies, burying her head into his chest once again. She cried into him as he wrapped her into his warm embrace.

"Why are you crying?" He finally asked after a few minutes.

Sakuno shook her head back and forth, indicating she didn't want to talk about it.

Ryoma noticed his shirt was starting to get wet, and it was in the most peculiar...he moved his left hand from Sakuno's back to her front and raised it up until it rested on her right breast. She didn't let out so much as a peep of protest at him touching her so intimately. He was right, even her bra was soaking wet, which meant...he slid his right hand down her back until is rested on her bum. Well, that confirmed her panties were soaking wet as well. Just how long had she been standing there in the pouring rain before he'd found her? Was she going to get sick?

She'd pulled her arms into the circle of his arms and was snuggling into his chest like a kitten. It was making it really difficult for him to maintain his composure. He leaned them forward so he could grab a towel off the counter. Opening it up with both hands, he pulled it around Sakuno's shoulders, rubbing up and down her arms, trying to generate heat.

She sucked in a sharp breath that didn't go unnoticed by Ryoma. He assumed she was ready for him to leave her alone and pulled back a step, but Sakuno quickly closed the step, moving back into his arms. "It's nothing," she mumbled.

Confused, Ryoma put his arms around her again, not knowing what else he was supposed to do.

_Except get her out of her wet underwear as soon as possible._

For some reason he got the feeling she'd even allow him to do that and he couldn't help but feel like he was taking advantage of her.

At least she wasn't crying anymore.

Trying not to overanalyze the situation too much, Ryoma closed his eyes for a second as he rested his chin on the crown of her head. It was weird being so much taller than her. Last time he'd touched her he'd only been a bit bigger, but now, at just turned sixteen, she felt so very small and delicate.

"Sakuno..."

Same as last time he hadn't even realized he'd used her given name until she softly commented on it, saying almost the exact same thing she'd confessed to him a year and a half ago at the US Open, "It makes me happy when you call me Sakuno."

Ryoma's chest bounced with an amused, satisfied breath of relief.

_She liked him._  She still liked him. He knew it in his bones.  _Some things...didn't change._

Emboldened, he slipped his left hand under the towel he'd wrapped around her back and slid his hand over her cold, still slightly wet flesh until his fingers connected with her bra strap. He ran his fingers over the hooks for a second figuring out in his head how it worked. A minute later, he pulled up on it.

She gasped as her breasts were freed from the pressure of her bra. Putting her arms down, she allowed the straps to slip down her shoulders and arms and hit the floor, her chest still almost flushed with Ryoma's covered one.

Sakuno looked up at the only boy she'd ever loved and whispered huskily, "Ryoma-kun is wearing too many clothes."

Ryoma's body instantly reacted to her comment. He took a step away from her and got an eye-full of her chest before he grabbed the bottom of his shirt and in one swoop, lifted it off of his head. He dropped it on the floor and met Sakuno's eyes with a penetrating look and gulped at her answering eyes.

_This was happening. This was really happening._

Anxiously, he closed the distance between them and leaned her against the counter as his lips crushed onto hers hungrily. Her hands were roaming freely over his chest as he wrapped her small body up in his arms, spreading his body heat into her cold one.

Their few remaining articles of clothes were stripped off of each other as they stumbled their way into the main part of the bathroom between kisses and touches of excitement and lust. Ryoma spun the faucets on in the large bathtub, filling it with hot water and guiding them both into the bath. Sakuno's body finally warmed completely from the hot water as she sat on Ryoma's lap in the tub, kissing him while his hands freely roamed her body.  _It wasn't enough, it could never be enough._  More, more, more.

_It was insanity._


	5. Chapter Five

**Coming Home**

By: Bunny

Rated: Teen 15 and up

Genre: Romance, Drama

Summary: RyoSaku. At the start of high school, Sakuno is forced to leave Seigaku. Trying to move on proves to be impossible.

* * *

Chapter Five

* * *

Echizen Ryoma had never felt so good.

He lingered in his half awake state as his mind ran through the events of the night before again and again. He was with Sakuno again. He was really with her this time too. No misunderstandings, no take-backs and no missed opportunities. After last night, he had no doubt.  _She was his woman._

All was right with the world.

He rolled over and stretched, letting out an audible yawn he cracked his eyes open and looked at his ceiling for a few minutes, grateful that it was the weekend. He knew exactly what he was going to do today too. Right now, he was going to touch his naked girlfriend and rub his hands all over her body accompanied with a good morning kiss. After breakfast they could come back to bed and spend the rest of the day watching TV and making love.

He rolled over the other way towards Sakuno's side of the bed and his eyes widened in surprise. She wasn't there.

His head shot up and he looked around the bedroom, waiting to spot her. She wasn't there.

Hmmm...maybe she was in the bathroom. He got up, made his way to the bathroom and was surprised when the door swung open. He was more surprised that Sakuno wasn't soaking in the bath. Where was she? He stepped into the bathroom and relieved himself, washed his hands, brushed his teeth and made his way back into his bedroom. He slipped on a pair of fresh underwear and ran his hand through his hair as he walked to the hallway and jogged downstairs. She wasn't in the living room, so he peered into the kitchen. She wasn't there either.

Ryoma's forehead puzzled. Where was she hiding?

He looked towards the window and noticed it was beautiful outside. Maybe she went outside? He didn't want to go outside without clothes on though, but first he called out, "Sakuno?" Just in case she was somewhere he hadn't checked yet.

No answer.

_Weird._

She must be up on the tennis court, he assumed. He ran back up the stairs to his room, pulled on a pair of shorts and a polo shirt. Jogged quickly back down the stairs, slipped his shoes on at the door and jogged up the temple steps to the tennis court.

"Sakuno?" He called out again. Where was that girl? What the hell? Had she gone to get breakfast  _or something?_

Frustrated, Ryoma made his way back down to the house and did another quick run through of the rooms, looking for his missing girlfriend before he slumped onto the couch and turned the TV on. Oh well,  _he'd just have to wait for her to get back._

* * *

As the sun set that day Ryoma felt his heart break with the final realization that Sakuno wasn't coming back. It had been aching a little since that first hour had passed after he'd woken up and progressed as each hour had ticked by with no sign of her.

She'd left him.  _Again._

What. The. Hell.

_He wanted to break something._

Next time he saw that girl, he was going to  _kill her!_  How dare she leave him?  _After last night?_  How dare she?  _How dare she?_

He stewed over it all weekend and went to school on Monday in the worst mood  _ever._  People gave him a wide berth, even friends of his avoided him like he had the plague. He openly scowled at everybody. He was so angry.

_So very, very angry._

At tennis practice that afternoon, Momoshiro Takeshi, one of the few select students unafraid of the prince of tennis slapped his friend on the back. "What's bothering you, Echizen?"

Ryoma suppressed a growl. "Momo. Match. Now."

"Sure, sure," Momo complied. He walked to the baseline of one of the courts indicating he was ready.

Ryoma beat the crap out of him. Momo had the special bruises incurred from high speed tennis balls to prove it, too. They didn't even get through a full set before Momo had called the match and left the court. He'd always known Echizen was a fierce player, but this was a whole new level, even for him. The cruelty too, he'd never expected it to be so fierce, even if Echizen had been snarling at his classmates all day.

_He'd felt like Echizen was trying to kill him._

_It didn't make any sense._

Ryoma stuffed his racquet into his tennis bag and left before practice ended without a word to anyone.

The next day, he arrived at school with a healing balm for Momo and a brief, "Sorry, senpai."

His blatant anger had apparently abated, but  _from that day, Echizen Ryoma had changed._  Nobody knew what it was, but everybody noticed that their beloved tennis prince was in a constant state of anything but happy.

By the end of the final term of their school year, Momo had decided that he'd had enough of Ryoma's constant sulky attitude and it was time to take the matter into his own hands. His friend needed some serious intervention.

The day after the last day of school for the year and graduation for their seniors, Momo called Echizen up on the phone.

"What?" The prodigy answered the phone grumpily.

"Echizen, get ready. We're going somewhere cool today."

"Cool? Momo, I don't-"

"Echizen!"

"Yes?"

_"Get ready!"_

Ryoma pressed the end call button on his phone and slammed it on the tabletop,  _hard_. He was kind of pissed off that the phone didn't break. Still, he found himself obediently getting up and getting ready.

An hour later, Momo met him at his house. He led the way to the train station and after about half an hour and a change to another line, Momo finally informed Ryoma they'd arrived.

Ryoma glanced around and raised an eyebrow at Momo, "Akihabara? Really?"

Momo slapped Ryoma's shoulder, "Trust me, Echizen! This is going to be fun!"

Ryoma shook his head, but indulged Momo anyways. After all, they'd already traveled all the way there. Momo led the way around a few shops he'd been to before. They tinkered around with some electronics, and played a few video games. Trying to get some kind of reaction from the tennis prodigy, Momo steered Ryoma to a hentai section in an anime store. Ryoma glanced at the naked characters for a second and then gave Momo a bored look. Momo was surprised that hadn't even garnered a blush from his younger friend.

Wait. It...wasn't possible that Echizen had...? No! No way.  _No freaking way his kohai had done more than him_. Speaking of Echizen's love life though...

Giving Ryoma a suspicious look as they exited the anime store Momo asked, "Echizen? Have you seen Ryuzaki-chan since she left?"

Ryoma ground his teeth in irritation, but didn't offer an answer.

Ploughing forward anyways, Momo added, "Just curious, I mean, I don't even think Osakada-san has heard from her in months. I hope she's doing okay."

Ryoma's countenance visibly softened as he remembered Sakuno's tears, "Yeah."

"Yeah what?"

"I...hope she's okay," Ryoma said, and then...for the first time in months, Ryoma stopped scowling.

Momo felt a sense of accomplishment and made a mental note. When all else failed, Ryuzaki-chan made him happy. Ah...young love.  _It must be young love._  Maybe Echizen was so grouchy because his #1 cheerleader had been missing that season.

_Still though...what was up with Echizen not being intimidated by the hentai?_

Leading the way into the closest maid cafe, Momo was met with the first sign of resistance from his otherwise compliant friend on their Akihabara excursion.

"No." Ryoma crossed his arms and turned his back away from the cafe.

"Echizen. It's lunch. It's fun. It's the best food around here," Momo said.

"Yada."

Momo shot daggers of challenge at Ryoma. The younger teen shook his head and watched Momo open the door with a sweeping gesture for Ryoma to proceed him inside.

He'd actually been expecting more resistance, but Echizen actually rushed into the cafe. Momo followed him in and took a step back in shock when he saw what had caused the stubborn tennis prodigy to rush in.

"Sakuno."

 


	6. Chapter Six

**Coming Home**

By: Bunny

Rated: Teen 15 and up

Genre: Romance, Drama

Summary: RyoSaku. At the start of high school, Sakuno is forced to leave Seigaku. Trying to move on proves to be impossible.

* * *

Chapter Six

* * *

Sakuno's waitress pad slipped from her fingers and landed on the toes of her shoes with a soft thump. She didn't even need to turn to see that it was  _him_. How did he ever find her here? She'd been  _certain_  it was the last place on earth he'd ever visit. She bent down and picked the pad up. With a smile at her patron she said, "Your order will be coming right up, master."

She turned, shot Ryoma a dirty look and made her way to the kitchen to deliver the order.

"I'm taking a break," She announced.

She walked briskly towards the door and corralled the boys out of the cafe. Looking pointedly at Ryoma she asked, "What are you doing here?"

Ryoma yanked her apron string, causing it to come undone and slip down her dress, "That's our question."

She gave him an irritated look as she pulled the waistband of her apron back into place and tied it back around her waist, "I work here."

"Sakuno."

"Ryoma."

_"Sakuno."_

Momo glanced wildly back and forth between his two friends.  _What the heck_? Since when had they addressed each other so familiarly? Why did it sound like a thousand things were said by them to each other by simply saying the other person's name?

"How long?" Ryoma asked.

Sakuno shook her head, "You know."

Ryoma stuffed his hands into his pockets and cursed.

Momo was lost. What were they talking about? Was this some secret Echizen and Ryuzaki-chan language?

"Ryuzaki-chan, it's good to see you," Momo said, cutting into the conversation.

Sakuno shot a smile his way, "It's nice to see you too, Momo-senpai."

"So...you ah...live around here now, Ryuzaki-chan?"

She nodded and took a step back as Ryoma advanced towards her again. He stopped at her retreat and said something in English; it sounded to Momo like it was probably more cursing.

Sakuno kept looking nervously at Ryoma.

"I...need to get back to work," She announced.

As she turned, Ryoma caught her forearm in a gentle grasp. It almost brought tears to her eyes, _he was so gentle with her,_  even when he had every right and reason to be angry. Even now, almost half a year after  _that time_ , the differences between the two princes were so drastic. Akihiko haunted her, Ryoma silently comforted her.

She turned watery eyes on him and whispered, "Stop."

He let go immediately and swore again.

After Sakuno re-entered the maid cafe, Ryoma stood there scowling at the cafe's door.

Momo watched Ryoma for a couple of minutes in silence. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore and asked, "What's going on with you and Ryuzaki-chan?"

Ryoma looked at Momo, "Nothing."

"Echizen, _that wasn't nothing."_

Ryoma shrugged.

"There's definitely something! Don't hold out on me, are you two  _finally dating?"_  Momo asked, excited at the prospect.

Ryoma started walking away towards the train station. Momo ran to catch up to him. "Echizen, are you-?"

"Momo. There's nothing!" He was  _almost_  yelling. A jumble of English spilled out of his mouth afterwards, his anger back and fiercer than ever.

Momo had no idea what he was saying, but he didn't even know Echizen was capable of expressing this much emotion. He was always so mellow and nonchalant about everything. Even though the prodigy had been visibly angry the last few months, the worst of it had been their brutal few games that first day he'd shown up to school angry. After that he'd been back to his usual couldn't give a damn self, just a grouchier version.

As the train pulled up and Momo made his way to the sliding doors to board, Ryoma said, "Don't tell anybody about Sakuno."

Momo watched in bafflement as Ryoma turned around and walked back towards Akihabara instead of getting on the train with him.

Okay...so there was definitely something about Ryuzaki-chan that Echizen wasn't telling him. He had a sneaking suspicion it had a lot to do with Echizen's foul humor lately as well.

_What the heck had happened?_

* * *

Hours later, Sakuno's shift ended at the maid cafe. She changed into her street clothes and then made her way out of the back door. Upon her exit, a shadow moved and she jumped in fright. As Ryoma came into the light, she placed a hand over her frantically beating heart.

"Ryoma!" She exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"It's dangerous."

Sakuno's jaw dropped. "What... _oh,_  you want to walk me home? You stayed here all this time  _just for that?"_

Ryoma shook his head no and moved closer; she moved away from him. He looked away, the frustration rolling off of him in waves.

"I don't need you to do this," She said.

Ryoma gave her a disapproving look, _"Mada mada dane, Ryuzaki."_

She frowned. He'd called her Ryuzaki again. She'd been expecting it eventually, so why did it hurt so much? It was for the best, right? That's what she'd decided,  _wasn't it?_

Reluctantly, she started walking towards her apartment. She didn't really want Ryoma to know where she lived. If word got back to her parents through Seigaku, she'd be forced to go back...to  _that place_. She couldn't bear it. She'd gone through so much just to get to this point, getting a job, applying for her own place. That day she'd finally made the decision to leave and then spent the night in Ryoma's arms had changed  _everything._  It wasn't the golden days she'd enjoyed at Seigaku, but at least it wasn't the horror of the kingdom of a slighted prince Nishimura Akihiko. She glanced at Ryoma from the corners of her eyes as they walked side by side.

_It was really good to see him again._

Her heart had been aching for so long, she'd almost forgot the happiness being around him gave her.

_He deserved better than this._

Her apartment was close by, so in only a few minutes they were at her front door. Ryoma watched as she slipped her key into the door and entered. Silently, he followed behind. They hadn't even slipped their shoes off in the entry when Ryoma had her trapped in his arms, his face buried in her neck. He asked so lowly she almost missed it, "Why did you leave me, Sakuno?"

Oh.  _He asked._

Overwhelmed with pent up emotions, she started crying silently, "I-I can't-"

He shifted his weight, pulling off her balance so she was forced to lean against him. He was kissing into the crook of her neck, light butterfly kisses that stirred something deep within her being, something that had been sleeping for three months since she'd last seen him. She moaned and gave up trying to keep herself up, leaning completely into Ryoma.

His hands were at the edge of her shirt, moving under it, contacting the bare flesh of her midriff. She felt a swirl of warmth in her lower abdomen and bit her lip to keep from moaning as he nipped at her collar bone.

"Ryoma," She gasped as his hands moved lower, around her waist and began fumbling with her skirt zipper.

"Hn."

As she felt her skirt start to give way she stuttered out, "S-stop."

His hands paused, "Yada."

By now, her breath was coming out in short pants, so she took a deep breathe and subsequently inhaled Ryoma. She closed her eyes...wow.  _He smelled so wonderful._  She'd missed him even more than she'd realized.

She didn't want to stop either. In fact, she desperately wanted to spend another night melting into him, forgetting about her problems, the pain, the unknown future, but  _he deserved better than this._  He deserved someone that could really be with him, someone like the person she'd used to be...maybe... _probably someone better than that._

Still, she protested, "I can't...we can't-"

"What?"

She shivered as his hands started moving again, grazing her bottom through the opening made by her skirt's zipper as the rest of her skirt precariously rested on her hips. He rubbed tiny circles with his thumbs and nuzzled into her chin, trying to get her to lift her face up to him.

Determinedly, she kept her head down, but she was losing her resolve, she knew it, he knew it. This couldn't...

Finally, she wrapped her arms around him, keeping her head down, "We...shouldn't."

He pulled away then, confused as anything at her push, pull, push, pull.  _Was she purposely trying to drive him crazy?_  It brought back to the fore memories of that year, of her disappearing, of her reappearing, and then disappearing again.

_She hadn't reappeared this time though,_  he'd simply found her on accident. He watched her rub the tears from her eyes and wondered why she was so sad; why was she crying every time he saw her? Why did she keep pushing him away today? She never pushed him away...

Ever.

His mind suddenly swarmed with doubt, he took another step back, and their arms slipped away from each other with the increased distance. She still hadn't explained anything, he noted with irritation. He'd even swallowed his pride and asked. The familiar feelings of anger began to resurface now that he didn't have the distraction of his arms wrapped around her soft form. He wanted to keep his head clear so he stuffed his hands in his pockets.  _No more touching_...after all, he hadn't waited for her so they could have a repeat of last time; he'd wanted to talk.

Then  _maybe_  some...make-up sex.

She wasn't talking though.

Sakuno's skirt finally lost it's balance on her hips and dropped to the floor with a whoosh. Absentmindedly, Sakuno kicked it away and her lack of modesty really brought it home to her...she was with Ryoma.

_It was safe._

She finally looked up at him, her eyes were still a bit dewy from her tears, but they sparkled with her love and affection for him.

Ryoma took another step back. It was  _that look_.

_That was the look she gave him._  It had been three months since he'd last seen it, in his bathroom after he'd stripped her down, but it was a look that was burned into his memory.  _Last time_  she'd looked at him like that he'd finally thought he understood what it meant. He'd thought she loved him. He'd been certain of it, in fact. He'd thrown away any remaining reserves he'd had and put himself out there, and while he'd thought everything was perfect,  _she'd left him._

His heart dropped.

She gave him a hesitant smile and looking back down, she grabbed the end of her simple blouse up and lifted it off of her head. She dropped in on the floor on top of her skirt.

Ryoma took another step back, and gave her an expression she'd only seen on him once and it had been so fleeting the first time she'd chalked it up to her imagination. Seeing it again, she realized now that  _she was wrong._  There really were some things that frightened Echizen Ryoma.

_She was one of them._

He was looking away from her again, this time to the back of her modest studio, out of the window to the building across the street. Then he was looking back at her, his eyes guarded.

Sakuno closed her eyes and shook her head slowly, opening them again she gave him a sad smile.  _She'd been wrong about him._  It seemed he wasn't just her hero that saved her from scrapes, and a tennis prodigy that criticized her lack of skills and taught her lessons sometimes. He also really cared about her. Last time when she'd ran into him, she'd been in such a dark place she'd simply been grateful for the comfort, for someone she trusted to hold her gently, to make the horrors go away, to take away her fear of the unknown of running away, even if only for one night. She'd assumed the morning after would be a repeat of their final night in New York -  _denial,_  and had opted to make things easier by leaving.

She didn't even think she'd ever see him again, as painful of a thought as that was. She had  _that night_. She had that night, and New York, her two treasured first experiences with the first boy she'd ever loved. The only one she'd ever loved so far in her sixteen years of life. She'd never imagined for Ryoma it had been anything besides male hormones and convenience.

Her realization giving her courage, she advanced on him as he continued to warily back away from her, until his back was against the door of her apartment. She put her right hand on his chest, over his heart and marveled at how quickly it pounded against her palm.

He looked down at her hand, ran the length of her arm, and paused to admire her breasts for a moment before looking up into her eyes. He gave her a smirk, and somehow, she saw through it this time, that he was playing it cool.

She leaned in slightly and looked up at him, hiding nothing from her eyes. It was time.

_"I love you."_


	7. Chapter Seven

**Coming Home**

By: Bunny

Rated: Teen 15 and up

Genre: Romance, Drama

Summary: RyoSaku. At the start of high school, Sakuno is forced to leave Seigaku. Trying to move on proves to be impossible.

* * *

Chapter Seven

* * *

Ryoma felt like his chest had just exploded.

What?

_What?_

_What did that really mean?_

His mouth was slightly open, his eyes locked with Sakuno's, his surprise at her words clearly evident.

What had she just...?

_Wait._

_REALLY? Had she really just said...?_

He gulped for breath as his mind and heart swirled. His hands were already flat against the back of her door, and unconsciously he spread his fingers out, roaming against the flat, broad surface, grasping for something,  _anything_ to tell him...

What...

_What..._

_What am I supposed do?_

His thumb rammed into the door's handle, and he awkwardly grasped onto it.

Sakuno's eyes lowered to his hand at the clacking noise it made and then her eyes flew back up to his.

She had the gall to have this annoying look of understanding on her face.

_Damn._

Damn her. How dare she say that after all this...

"I gotta go," He finally said before the two of them did this awkward dance as he pried the door open and slipped out.

Outside, Ryoma stared hard at Sakuno's door for what seemed like an eternity before he quietly turned and made his way home for the night. He shoved his hands into his pockets and squeezed his cellphone so hard it cracked the outer edge of it. His heartbeat pounded in response as her words continued to swirl through his mind on repeat.

_"I love you."_

_"I love you."_

_"I love you."_

About half an hour later he arrived back at his house, made his way upstairs to his room, and flopped onto his bed. Punching his fist into his pillow he swore.

_Why Sakuno? Why? Then why did you leave me?_

* * *

The next day Sakuno was once again startled to find Ryoma waiting for her after work.

_What the?_  Hadn't he ran out on her?  _Right after her confession?_

Apparently, it was her turn to be irritated with him. So she ignored him as she walked home, even as he kept pace with her and left her as she'd unlocked her apartment's door.

Inside her apartment, Sakuno watched through the window as Ryoma walked away.

The day after that was the same, and the day after that the same as well. Each day, they said nothing, walking in silence. Ryoma leaving at her door, Sakuno watching him walk away.

Thus, their new cycle began.

After two weeks of pointedly ignoring each other during their nightly walks to Sakuno's apartment, Ryoma surprised her by taking her hand.

She surprised him by allowing it.

Still, they avoided talking.

A week after that added steamy good-bye kisses at her doorway, and a week after that, hello kisses at the cafe's backdoor.

_Still, the silence._

Spring break was ending, and Ryoma had to start the first term of his second year of high school on Monday. He had concerns about coming to Akihabara everyday to take care of Sakuno. She got out of work late, and with all the school work he knew was coming, it would be difficult to handle school, tennis and Sakuno. Somehow, he had to make it work, but the only solution that kept coming to him was moving her in. To his place.

She wasn't going to like it. He just knew it, that she would fight him on it, and things were just starting to improve for them. She'd given him a lingering smile the night before as he'd made to leave, her eyes conveying permission to stay.

He'd  _almost_  stayed.

Still, they needed to talk first. They had to  _talk_ , they couldn't go on like this forever, even Ryoma knew that. Which meant, Sakuno's inner self was probably screaming it to her constantly. He couldn't fall into bed with her again without some answers on what she was doing living on her own in Akihabara, why she'd appeared crying to him months ago, and why she'd left. As much as he'd hoped for their first year of high school to be the beginning of their happily dating life, it had instead been the beginning of their disappearing, fighting and lusting for each other.

_High school was so messed up._

It had been almost 2 full years since they'd first started up in that hotel room in New York, they were a little older, a little wiser, both of them equally more stubborn than before, but...

_She loved him._

Getting off the train earlier in the evening than usual, Ryoma stuffed his hands into his pockets and walked to the maid cafe where she worked. Instead of going to the back, he opened the door and entered the front.

Three maids greeted him enthusiastically and one set him at a table in Sakuno's section, as requested. He even heard them whispering excitedly to each other that "Sakuno has such a hot admirer."

He shook his head as he opened the menu.  _Girls._

His eyes glanced up and down the menu of drinks, sweets and a few select meals. It was really a shame they had no ponta. He'd just decided on ordering the fish, when Sakuno appeared by his side.

Recognition registered on her face before she dropped into the seat across from him and whispered, "What are you doing here?"

Ryoma gave her a blank look before pointing to his menu he said, "Getting dinner."

After a month of silence, that was the first things they were going to say to each other? _Really?_  Ryoma rolled his eyes.

"I want the grilled fish, and an ice tea," He added.

Sakuno just sat there staring at him for a minute before she blinked, shook her head and then scribbled his order on her notepad.

"I'll be right back," She said.

He watched her walk away and a few minutes later she returned with two ice teas. She sat down across from him again.

Ryoma took a sip of his cold tea and then put his elbow on the table and rested his head in his hand, "Do you sit with all the customers?"

Sakuno flushed, "Of course not!"

Ryoma shrugged. How was he supposed to know? He'd never been in a maid cafe before.

She was watching him closely and he could see the questions swimming around in her eyes. Honestly, he wasn't even sure where to start.

He considered opening with something like, 'I want you to move in with me,' and then thought better of it. So they sat in silence for a few minutes, sipping their teas, wondering what to say. Ryoma had finally settled on something along the lines of telling her school started up again on Monday, when a group of loud guys came in through the front door.

At the noise, most everybody in the cafe looked at them, especially the ones closer to the door like Ryoma and Sakuno.

At the front of the group a tall guy around their age by Ryoma's estimation, stood out from the others. He was wearing a school emblem sport's jacket, so he probably played on some regular's team. He had dark brown hair with a slight burgundy tint to it styled similarly to his own, and chestnut colored eyes, like Sakuno's. The group of them were making a lot of ruckus, but Ryoma wrote them off as harmless. Bored, he looked back to Sakuno and immediately noticed her lack of color.

She looked sick. He watched as she went from white, to this purplish green color, and then red.

He'd just leaned in closer to ask her if she was okay when the group of boys passing by suddenly stopped next to their table.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the  _slut_."

He watched as Sakuno's form stiffened in response and gave an irritated glance at the guy speaking. It was the tall guy Ryoma had noticed a minute ago. He had his arms crossed over his chest and smirked viciously as the rest of the guys in the group made small comments of agreement.

"This must be the perfect place for you to work,  _Sakuno-chan_ ," He added.

Sakuno shot the tall guy a dirty look before she stood up. She made her way to leave, but the guys shuffled around, purposely blocking her way. She retreated a bit, hovering over her empty chair awkwardly.

Ryoma's eyebrow raised in interest, "Sakuno, is the fish ready yet?"

The whole group's attention moved to Ryoma as Sakuno answered, "I'm not sure, I need to go check."

Ryoma gestured with his hand for her to go check, so she moved to go and this time, the boys parted, letting her through.

"Hey, don't address her so informally," The tall guy said to Ryoma after Sakuno was gone.

Ryoma smirked, "Ah, does that bother you? Can you stop talking to her then? She doesn't like it."

The tall guy pointed in the direction Sakuno had left in, "That girl? Oh she likes it all right. If you get my meaning." He made an obscene gesture.

Ryoma closed his eyes for a moment.  _These guys are disgusting._

He stood up as he noticed Sakuno making her way back towards them without his food. It was time to take this out of the cafe anyways. The boys allowed him to pass and followed as he joined Sakuno by the entrance, "Let's go home early today."

Sakuno glanced at the guys from the sides of her eyes and gave Ryoma a wary look before nodding her agreement.

As soon as they got outside, the tall guy stepped up behind them and grabbed Sakuno's wrist tightly, "Where are you going,  _Sakuno-chan_? I thought you were going to  _service_  me?"

Sakuno immediately tried to get her wrist out of his grasp and he tightened his hold to an even more painful grip as she said forcefully, "No!"

"Aw, com'on, Sakuno!"

_"Let go,_  Nishimura Akihiko!"

Ryoma didn't really know what the connection was, but Sakuno's displeasure was enough for him. Oh, he had never wished so badly for his tennis equipment. Unfortunately, he'd left it at home as he usually did when he went to Akihabara. So instead of hitting a tennis ball towards the guy harassing Sakuno, he swiped a thick flyer from a near-by maid who'd been handing them out and spun it towards the guy's face. It sliced across his cheek, leaving an angry horizontal paper cut.

"Ow!" The guy exclaimed, as he dropped Sakuno's wrist and grabbed his cheek, sending a wrathful look Ryoma's direction. The guy's friends moved in behind him as Sakuno rushed over to Ryoma's side.

"Oh, my hand slipped," Ryoma commented casually.

"What do you think you're doing?" Akihiko asked Ryoma. He pointed at Sakuno, "This girl is a worthless used up piece of trash! The biggest slut I've ever known, and I've known some sluts!"

Ryoma took a moment and looked from Akihiko to Sakuno and back before he said, "It's just as I thought."

"What is?" Akihiko asked.

Ryoma put both arms behind his head, elbows pointed towards the sky, and with a nonchalant shrug declared, "She turned you down."

Sakuno turned glowing eyes on Ryoma, touched beyond measure at his faith in her as Akihiko, caught completely off guard began sputtering out excuses.

Finally Akihiko collected himself and with a rude gesture, he declared, "Five months ago after the Cultural Festival, upstairs at Kaori's house."

He'd said it a million times before, everyone had always believed him, and Sakuno had never had the courage to deny it, so the last thing Nishimura Akihiko had expected was for the stoic guy with Sakuno to burst out laughing. His jaw dropped in shock as the greenish black haired boy said between guffaws, "That's... _impossible_."

"What do you know?" Akihiko quickly challenged back.

Ryoma shrugged his hands into his pockets and said casually, "January." He paused for a second before he added, "My house."

"W-What?" Akihiko sputtered. He didn't like where this conversation was going...

Was this guy seriously saying what he thought he was saying? Wait. Why was Sakuno making  _that look_ at this guy? After he'd said... _that?_  His ears began to ring as he watched the couple standing in front of him give each other looks of mutual understanding.  _There's no way it could be true._

Sakuno hugged onto Ryoma's arm and buried her face into his shoulder for a second in embarrassment.  _Were they really talking about this?_  With other people? She never would have...

Then she suddenly realized in a moment of clarity:  _this was her opportunity!_  It was her opportunity to give prince Nishimura Akihiko  _the dethroning he deserved!_  Ryoma had handed it to her on a silver platter and Akihiko's lies were hers to expose. Making a quick decision she snapped her head up, her heart pounded furiously as she met Akihiko's eyes said with steely resolve,  _"In the bath."_

The whole group of boys she had gone to high school with gave her gaping looks before they quickly started muttering disbelief in her words. Akihiko looked especially angry, his expression similar to the one he'd given her all those month's ago when she'd refused him. She supposed he at least had a reason to be angry...this time. She was finally going to prove he was a liar and a slanderer!

And he knew it.

So Sakuno opened her mouth again and added with a bit of embarrassment, "Ah...and...and then... _the sofa_."

All of the boys were shocked into silence.

Akihiko was bright red, his face clearly furious. Unconsciously, Sakuno squeezed Ryoma's arm, but finished sharing the whole truth of her real deflowerment softly, "Then... _the bed."_

Ryoma had been standing there silently, giving Sakuno a chance to battle for herself, but at her words he grimaced over the whole situation as his heart stabbed through with pain. The fact that she had said anything more than he had, that she had shared such intimate details...

_He was starting to understand what happened to Sakuno._  He was pretty sure he wanted to kill the shell shocked group of boys looking at them. It was taking all of his self control not to beat them all within an inch of death, tennis racquet or not. Especially the one that obviously instigated it all, this...Nishimura Akihiko that she'd obviously refused at some point.

Which was the only good part of the whole mess.

She was his woman, and  _she'd always only ever been hi_ s. He'd known it all along, but...

_What price had she paid for it? The crying? The slander? Was there more than that?_

Ryoma fought back his thoughts from getting out of control and instead put on a confident smirk. It was time for the final blow that would clear Sakuno's name of the lies this sore loser had been spreading about her.

"She was...previously untouched.  _If you get my meaning."_

At Ryoma's declaration, Akihiko turned a dark angry red, his face scrunched up in fury as he spat to Sakuno accusingly,  _"This guy was who you were talking about?"_

Ryoma felt Sakuno shake at his words. He clenched his fist, ready to deck the guy if he so much as took a step towards them, but before Sakuno could respond, Akihiko's friends turned on him accusatorily. All too quickly, the whole pack of them had started fighting.

While the group was distracted, Ryoma pulled Sakuno away and briskly walked them towards the train station.

_Staying any longer would only hurt Sakuno._


	8. Chapter Eight

**Coming Home**

By: Bunny

Rated: Teen 15 and up

Genre: Romance, Drama

Summary: RyoSaku. At the start of high school, Sakuno is forced to leave Seigaku. Trying to move on proves to be impossible.

* * *

Chapter Eight

* * *

In silence Ryoma tugged her hand all the way to the train station and they boarded the train headed towards Ryoma's house. They'd managed to get into an otherwise vacant car and the couple huddled together in the back corner.

Finally, the gloves were off and their walls were down.

It was time to talk, and talk they did. Ryoma didn't think he'd heard Sakuno being such a chatterbox since their first "date" to the stringer's shop when they'd been first years in middle school.

_If only_  this conversation had been as sweet and innocent as the one they'd had all those years ago...

"You were right when you said I turned him down," Sakuno opened as the train began to speed away from the station.

Ryoma gave her a knowing smirk.  _Of course he was right._  His Sakuno would never take up with some other guy...

_He knew it, he'd always known it, some part of him had always known...they were..._

His smirk was short-lived though, as Sakuno began to elaborate, her slightly happy tone suddenly dropping into a sad, troubled one, "At Kaori's house party after the cultural festival, Akihiko took me upstairs to her room.  _I thought_  he had some big news to share with me and wanted to get away from the party noise, but when we got there he closed the door and he looked at me...a-and...I...I...I don't know,  _it was different._  Then...then... _it all started very suddenly,_  and I almost missed it..."

She paused and took in a deep shaky breath before continuing, "Well, b-before I realized it, he was so very close and he tried to...to k-kiss me, but I figured it out and turned my face away just in time."

Ryoma rested a comforting hand against her knee that was closest to him even as he grimaced at her words, but he stayed silent, waiting.  _Knowing there was more to it than that._

"He..." Sakuno paused and picked at a loose thread on her apron, "He instantly got...mad at me for refusing. You see it's because...he...he...well,  _he is so popular._  So of course, all the girls like him, and...so I guess...I guess he didn't expect it...that I- I- that... _I wouldn't be interested."_

Ryoma closed his eyes to mask his irritation, needing no further explanation from Sakuno to understand  _exactly_ what type of guy Nishimura Akihiko was.

_Why did that type of guy have to set his eyes on his..._

His thoughts were interrupted though as Sakuno elaborated, "After I refused him we argued for a few minutes and then...he..."

Ryoma opened his eyes and turned his face to Sakuno, his heart suddenly seized with pain he didn't know existed.

_There was more than that?_

Sakuno met his wide eyes with her own dewy orbs, and grasped onto his hand at her knee as she told him the worst of it in barely over a whisper, "He...he p-pushed me down and he tried," She gulped,  _"He tried to force me_ , but I... _I fought him."_

Ryoma clenched his free hand in a fist of anger at his side. It took all of his self-control not to punch a hole in the subway car's wall at her words. He grasped her hand holding his tightly, his eyes glued to Sakuno's, watching her pained expression, seeing the horrors she'd been keeping inside herself for months.

So this...was why she was crying.

_He would kill him._

He'd had no idea it had been anything  _like that._  If he had known...he'd have surely killed him.  _How dare anybody do such a thing to Sakuno...to his..._

She wet her lips before she added quickly, "While we were fighting, I started crying and  _he stopped._  I almost couldn't believe it, that he stopped trying to...I was so sure at the time that he...that he..."

She stopped talking as she choked on her words, long tears streaking down her face. Her eyes met his then, and Ryoma watched her expression as she relived the relief she must have felt at that time.

She pulled her hand from his and covered her face with both of her hands as she cried into them, adding, "He'd stopped, but he...he was...he was so  _angry_  with me after that, and...you saw how he is with me now."

"I should have been there," Ryoma finally interjected, unable to keep silent any longer.

He couldn't believe something so horrible had happened to her. He couldn't believe he'd let that despicable guy walk away. If he'd known...oh... _if he'd only been there in the first place,_  that never would have happened to her. _Never_. They were supposed to have already been together.  _Sakuno was supposed to have been by his side._  The standing out in the rain, all the crying, the running away...

_This never should have happened to her._

Sakuno's hands limply fell to her lap as she sadly shook her head at his words, " _You don't understand._  We-We were _friends_ , he was  _my closest friend_  there at that school. I met him at the school gate first thing in the morning on that first day, and from that day  _we...we did everything together."_  She paused, and dabbed at her eyes with the backs of her hands. Then she muttered bitterly, "He flirted with everybody so I never thought he had any real interest in me."

"Heh," Ryoma instantly scoffed his opinion at her bitter sentiment.

Understanding that was Ryoma's way of disagreeing, she huffed a bit in frustration with his attitude. He thought she should have known that Akihiko liked her? Really? "I didn't know, Ryoma! How could I have known? I had no experience! It's not like boys liked me at Seigaku," She defended.

Ryoma rolled his eyes and drawled, _"Mada mada dane."_

She gave him a wry look,  _"You_  don't count.  _If that's what you mean."_

The hell he didn't! He should be  _the only one_  that mattered. Even before high school he'd already made out with her in New York, hadn't he? He shot her a glare.

She shook her head, knowing he misunderstood her meaning and confessed,  _"I didn't think you liked me either."_

The look he gave her that time was decidedly  _not_  understanding.

They fell into contemplative silence for a few minutes before Ryoma said, "Hn, I was going to ask you."

She turned to look at him, "Ask me what?"

"On the first day of high school," He added.

_"Ask me what?"_

"But you weren't there. You left," He shot her an accusatory look, "You just  _disappeared_."

Sakuno felt stabbed in the heart, "You-you must have known."

He shook his head.

"Ryoma." She paused and asked yet again, "You were going to ask me what?"

"To be my girlfriend," He finally confessed. He said it as if it should have been obvious to her.

At his words, her heart stopped for a moment in shock and then soared with happiness. She knew it, she did, she did already know, after this month, he'd been quite obvious, but to  _hear_  it, and that even before... _that time_ , he'd liked her...

It was a special kind of happiness. It made her feel liked she'd been filled up with sunshine. She was pretty sure she was giving him a really stupid grin. Between her tears and her grin, she felt she must look like quite a mess, but she just didn't care. She was suddenly...so happy...

While he was busy confessing he added, "After  _New York_...I made sure other guys understood."

Confused, she blinked at him as she reprocessed his words.  _New...York?_  As in when she went to the US Open with him and they...

Wait...

_What?_

"Understood what?" She asked, her words hurried.

The corner of his mouth twitched up slightly,  _"You're mine."_

At his words, she instantly blushed and covered her mouth from letting out a giggle of embarrassment. _Why did that make her feel so happy?_  It was really very possessive of him. Somehow though, she wasn't surprised, it seemed so typical that he would think that way. Still, what did he mean about making other guys 'understand?' She gave him a puzzled look trying to piece together everything he'd just said.

Oh.

Wait...so there  _had_  been boys that liked her at Seigaku, but Ryoma had scared them away? So...Ryoma had  _liked_ her even after  _New York or possibly before that_?

Wow.

She shook her head in wonder, "I-I didn't know anything."

Ryoma gave a slight nod of wry agreement as he stood up since their exit was next. He reached his hand down to Sakuno and pulled her up out of her seat as he grabbed onto the bar to keep them steady while the speeding train pulled to a stop. She leaned into his arms with the train's momentum, suddenly feeling so very comfortable and at ease with him. They exited the train through the sliding doors and made their way towards the stairs going back up to the street level. Reaching the street's sidewalk, he intertwined his fingers with hers and pulled her in the direction of his house.

Sakuno tried to keep her eyes away from the other pedestrians as they made their way to Ryoma's house. She was still in her work uniform, that is, she was still dressed as a maid, and people were staring. It was making her all sorts of uncomfortable, and she found herself curling into Ryoma's side in an effort to hide. It was one thing to be dressed in her maid uniform in the cafe in Akihabara, but even there she would change before leaving the shop to head home. Speaking of home, why were they going all the way to Ryoma's house? Couldn't they have gone to her place? What had he been doing in the cafe today? What did he want to talk to her about? With all the problems from Akihiko showing up, she'd completely forgotten.

"Why are we going to your house?" She suddenly asked.

Ryoma's fingers tightened their grip slightly before he answered, "Second year starts on Monday."

Sakuno tilted her head to the side. She didn't understand. What did that have to do with anything?

Ryoma let out a slight huff of frustration as he realized she didn't know what he meant, "I want to...keep seeing you...everyday."

They were both silent for a minute until Sakuno said, "Okay..."

Clearly, she still didn't understand.

Ryoma's empty hand nervously clenched into a fist at his side again as he mentally prepared for the fight she would put up. If only he could make her understand, if only he knew exactly the right way to say this...

"Akihabara is...far," He finally settled on.

Sakuno stopped walking, and Ryoma stopped as well, keeping his grip on her hand tight. After hearing about what had happened to her,  _he would never let go again,_  he'd already promised it to himself.

"What are you saying?" Sakuno asked meeting his eyes.

He averted his eyes away to the ground, "I think..." He stopped and then met her eyes as he started again, "I want you to move in with me."

Sakuno's eyes widened, "At your parent's house?"

He gave a nod, but Sakuno was already shaking her head, "I can't."

"Why not?" He quickly shot back.

"You don't understand."

He gave their linked hands a tug, pulling her into him, he wrapped both arms around her insisting, "Stay with me."

Out of nowhere she was crying again, shaking her head back and forth against his shoulder with silent sobs, "Ryoma...I-I c-can't."

_"Why?"_

_Why was she crying? Again?_

She fisted the front of his shirt in her fingers for a moment before letting go, "I can't go back... _to that place_."

"My house?" He asked in alarm, shocked and horrified at the very idea that being at his house could cause her any stress he quickly jumped ahead and added,  _"Because of what happened last time?"_

Her head immediately shot up, and met his horrified expression with her own, "NO! No!" She reached out and cupped his cheek soothingly, shaking her head, "To my parent's house. I can't go back  _there."_

Ryoma shook his head, confused, "I want you at  _my house_."

She gave him a rueful smile, "How long would that be? Until uncle and auntie find out I'm there? And send me home? You  _know_  they'll tell my parents." She paused and added darkly, " _I can't go back to that school._  He...is idolized there and I...you know why I can't be there. You saw how he treats me now. It's why I ran away.  _I will never go back there_. It hurts so much...that-that's why...I told you..."

She started crying again in earnest. Ryoma watched in horror as big sobbing tears ran down her face.

"That's why I told you when you found me..." She paused again before whispering, "We  _shouldn't..."_

Ryoma was shocked to hear her talk that way, but he finally understood.  _He understood it all._  His heart burst into flames with realization. He'd been right all along. She  _did_  love him  _that time._  It wasn't new, it wasn't because of...

_Didn't she know though?_

_She should really already know..._

His eyes hardened with determination, "I won't let them take you back."

Sakuno's tears stopped and her mouth opened into a small 'o' of surprise at his unexpected declaration on the matter. She'd only ever seen that look before when he was talking about playing tennis.

_Being the recipient of it was humbling._

He squeezed her close for a second and then pulled her away and met her eyes with his steady determined gaze, "I promise. I will protect you.  _I will always protect you._  Even if it's from your parents. I will never let anything bad happen to you again.  _I promise."_

Flooded with overwhelming emotions, Sakuno nodded as she teared up again, her heart suddenly overflowing with hope, "I...I...O...okay."

If...if he was  _that sure,_  she  _couldn't_  doubt it. She knew him too well to doubt him accomplishing anything he said he would. When Echizen Ryoma  _talked like that..._

There was only one way to take it.

_With complete assuredness._

Without warning, his lips connected with her still slightly open mouth; soft, sure, and sweet. His happiness at her acceptance traveled from him and poured into the core of her very being. Oh, she couldn't believe he was kissing her in public. On the street, in view of anybody passing by. A part of her melted in awe of Ryoma. He was always impressing her. Always. One way or another.

_These...these were Ryoma's feelings...she could barely believe it...that he'd chosen her..._

Her heart soared yet again.

_Could this really be for real? Was this truly happening to her?_

Pulling away, Ryoma gave her a rare unguarded grin and taking her hand, he picked up the pace, heading back to his house.

Sakuno felt like she was floating in a bubble.

Ryoma felt like he owned the whole world.

_She hadn't thought this type of happiness was possible for her anymore._

_He couldn't wait to get home._

Walking through the front gate Ryoma dug his free hand into his short's pocket to fish out his keys and then froze in horror as his mother flew out of the front door, embracing both of them in a ferocious hug.

"Sakuno!" She exclaimed, "Thank goodness, Sakuno  _is_  with Ryoma! We were so worried when we heard you'd disappeared."

The two teens gave each other shocked and horrified looks over Ryoma's mother's back as Sakuno stammered out, "Ah A-auntie Rinko."


	9. Chapter Nine

**Coming Home**

By: Bunny

Rated: Teen 15 and up

Genre: Romance, Drama

Summary: RyoSaku. At the start of high school, Sakuno is forced to leave Seigaku. Trying to move on proves to be impossible.

* * *

Chapter Nine

* * *

Pulling back from the surprised teens Echizen Rinko squeezed their outer shoulders simultaneously and scolded, " _What were you two thinking_?"

Turning to her son she elaborated, "Has she been staying with you this whole time then?"

Ryoma gaped at his mother.  _What the hell?_

"I just found her!" He defended.

Rinko took a step back, giving him a skeptical look, "So you  _knew_  she was missing?"

He shook his head, "Not exactly."

Rinko dropped her hands to her sides. This wasn't the place to have this discussion, "Let's go inside." She turned and lead the way.

The teens followed slowly, whispering furiously to each other.

"I  _told_  you this would happen."

Ryoma took the hand closest to him into his own, "I won't let them take you away."

Sakuno shook her head and hissed, "How? Ryoma...I  _can't_  go back to that place.  _I can't!"_

She was starting to look frantic - he could see it in her eyes, so Ryoma squeezed her hand reassuringly, "I promise. I'll protect you. No matter what."

She fought back tears threatening to escape her eyes,  _there was just no way_ , right? How could he possibly do that? _How?_

Rinko turned around at the doorway when she noticed the teens weren't right behind her and peered out into the front. She was surprised to see the young adults whispering to each other animatedly and even more surprised that her son was grasping onto Sakuno's hand. Their body language was...

_What had happened with those two?_

Her forehead creased in puzzlement for a minute as she watched them. Furthermore...why was Sakuno dressed as a maid? Did she have a job? Deciding to let them finish their private conversation, she proceeded into the house and called out to her husband.

When he appeared a minute later, Rinko gestured behind her at the young adults saying, "Ryoma  _did_  have her."

Nanjiro was shaking his head, "There's no girl's clothes in the house, there's nothing showing there were two people living here either. It's not possible."

Rinko looked back at the teens again, wondering what they were fighting about as she said, "Something about those two has changed, but Ryoma did say he'd just found her."

Nanjiro frowned, "It's probably the truth. I guess I'll call her parents to let them know she's with us and she's okay."

Rinko gave a nod of approval and made her way further into the house, taking a seat on the couch in the living room, waiting for the teens to make their way in.

At the entryway, Ryoma tugged the tie on the apron of Sakuno's maid uniform. It slipped down her hips quickly and he caught the fabric into his hands, rolling it up he set it on top of the shoe cabinet. He moved his hands to her head and removed her hair band, placing it on top of her discarded apron. Taking both of her hands he eased her to sit on the step that lead into the main portion of the house. Crouching down in front of her, he slipped off her shoes and then rubbed his hands slowly up her legs and removed her thigh high stockings one at a time. He looked back up at her, meeting her steady gaze with a determined look. She looked more normal now, just a short brown dress that flared out at the hips, and bare feet.

He looked past her into the house, and then leaned forward. He put his right fist into the floor beside her and used it as a lever to peer around the corner into the living room, and took in his mother sitting on the sofa. She was nervously chewing on one of her fingernails, her eyes looking out of the window across the way into the side yard. He slipped back slightly and hovered over Sakuno.

She looked up at him, her eyes once again filled with worry. He glanced behind her head again into the house. Seeing his old man wasn't within sight he dropped his head to hers and kissed her. Her hands immediately rested on the front of his chest, palms flat against his pectorals as if she would push him away and she made a slight sound of protest, but still kissed him back. Oh, how he wanted to just wrap her up into his arms, take her up to his room, and pretend his parents weren't there.

What _were_ they doing there?

He hadn't seen them in a year since the start of first year.  _Now_  they decide to show up, with no warning?  _Today_  of all days?  _Why did it have to be today?_  Why did it have to be right after he'd told Sakuno he'd take care of her? He tried to convey through the kiss that he would take care of her, that everything would be okay. That  _they_  would get through this  _together_. She needed to know, she needed to understand.

_This didn't change anything._

He broke away from the kiss at the sound of his father's voice coming from the living room around the corner, "No answer for either of her parents, so I called the old hag in Hong Kong."

In the semi-darkness of the entryway the two teens stared into each other's eyes as they listened to Nanjiro add, "I told her Ryoma found Sakuno-chan and she's here with us."

Sakuno jumped up from her seat on the low step and whirled into the Echizen's living room, with Ryoma right on her heels.

"What did she say?" Sakuno asked frantically.

Nanjiro was standing behind the couch looking down at Rinko, but his head shifted up as he looked up at the two teens that had entered the room.

"Hey Sakuno-chan," He greeted slowly.

After a minute of decidedly uncomfortable silence he added casually, "We hear you ran away from home."

Sakuno's eyes darted between Ryoma's parents, trying to figure out what they were thinking. What they would do, what they'd already done, what they knew, what they didn't know...

"I-I didn't  _mean_  to," She finally offered.

Nanjiro rose an eyebrow as Rinko's forehead puzzled.

"Sakuno- _chan_ , are you okay?" Rinko finally asked as she stood up and made her way over to the younger woman.

At Rinko's approach, Sakuno took a step back and bumped into Ryoma. As she wobbled, he grasped the back of her elbows. Taking control of the situation he steered her onto the sofa opposite the one his mother had been on a moment ago. He sat down next to her as Rinko retreated back to the sofa she'd been on and Nanjiro sat down next to his wife. Rinko had a cautious look on her face and Nanjiro was watching with wide open eyes of curious interest.

"So..." Rinko said, "Do you want to tell us what happened?"

Sakuno turned her head to look at Ryoma for a second. He gave the slightest shake of his head so she turned back to the adults.

"A-Ah...well-"

"Mom."

"Yes Ryoma?"

"Sakuno needs to stay here for a while."

_Did her son just call Sumire's granddaughter...Sakuno?_

"What do you mean?" Rinko asked as Nanjiro started snickering into his hand.

Ryoma shot his father a death glare, "I mean, she can't go back to her parent's house."

"That's not good enough, Seishounen."

Ryoma crossed his arms over his chest with a huff, "Doesn't matter, I already promised she could stay here."

Feeling insanely uncomfortable, Sakuno jumped up from the couch, "I can leave, sorry to bother you."

She made a beeline for the front door, but Ryoma was faster. Without ceremony he grabbed her, hefted her up just under her butt and dropped her back on the sofa she'd just deserted. He loomed over her as she gave him a surprised look.

" _Hell no_."

"Ryoma!"

_"Sakuno!"_

"Ryoma..." Her eyes were now pleading.

"No."

"Ryoma?" Rinko jumped in.

Ryoma turned at his waist to shoot his mother an irritated look over his shoulder, "What?"

_"What's going on with you two?"_  Rinko asked in bafflement.

Ryoma dropped onto the sofa next to Sakuno and put his closest arm across her lap, pinning her down as he whispered something into her ear.

"Nothing."

Nanjiro slapped his hands together with a loud clap and an excited chuckle,  _"Wow!_  So when did you two hook up? I wasn't sure you even had it in you, Seishounen!"

Rinko's jaw dropped open with surprised understanding as the two teens began blushing. Sakuno buried her face into her hands while Ryoma protested, "Shut up, Old Man!"

"With the coach's granddaughter no less!" Nanjiro continued in glee despite the teens' discomfort.

Ryoma couldn't believe he was having  _another_  conversation about  _this, today_.

It was nobody's damn business!

It was in that very uncomfortable for everyone but Nanjiro moment that the phone rang and all four of them stopped and stared in the direction of the house phone in the hallway. At the second ring, Nanjiro jumped up from his seat and made his way into the hallway to take the call.

After he'd left the room, Rinko pasted on a pleasant smile and said, "Well, Sakuno-chan whatever happened we're happy you're here now and you're safe. We couldn't believe you were missing. When your grandmother called us up last week and told us, we were so worried. She thought it was a long shot that Ryoma would know anything, but your parents have been searching for you for months and had finally got Sumire involved. We flew out here right away to help look for you."

Sakuno shook her head as a silent tear escaped her right eye, "Um...thank you auntie. I-I'm okay."

"So do you want to tell me what this is all about now?" She asked gently.

Sakuno bit her bottom lip in worry as Ryoma jumped in again, "Mom." He shook his head, sending a clear message to his mother that it wasn't a subject up for discussion.

Rinko was shocked.  _Was this really her son?_  How was it possible that he'd changed so much in the year he'd been here alone? He was all grown up suddenly, and it sent a small stab of pain through her heart that she'd missed it.

Whatever had happened to Ryuzaki Sakuno, he knew about it and he didn't want her to have to talk about it. He was being...well, rather protective about it. What terrible thing had happened to Sakuno? She gazed at the teens in wonder. She never would have thought...

Nanjiro came back into the room and putting his hands on his hips announced, "Sakuno-chan, that was your parents."

Sakuno tried to jump up from her seat again, but was held down by Ryoma's arm that had been over her lap.

Nanjiro was waving his hands at her placatingly, "It's okay, it's okay. No need to get up. I told them you could stay here and go to Seigaku with Ryoma again."

Sakuno's eyes widened, Ryoma's mouth twitched as he fought a smile of triumph, and Rinko protested, "I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why not?" Nanjiro asked.

Rinko gestured to the teens sitting on the couch as she flustered, "They're...well they...living here together alone? What are you thinking?"

Nanjiro shrugged, "Sakuno-chan will take care of Ryoma."

Rinko paused, "Well, yes, but-"

"Her parents said they knew she was always happier here at Seigaku. When I offered to let her live here with Ryoma they sounded relieved. They insisted on sending money over for her and made a pretty big deal about her not being a burden even though I told them it was fine."

Rinko blinked. But what about...?

Nanjiro gestured towards the teens and emphasized, "Besides,  _Ryoma wants her_  to stay here."

Yes...that was kind-of the problem, wasn't it?

Rinko looked from Nanjiro to the hopeful faces of the teenagers and then back at her husband. What was she missing here? She watched as Nanjiro gave her that look that meant he was waiting for her to read his mind.

She started going through the facts in her head.

Sakuno had gone missing.

Ryoma had found her.

Ryoma wanted her to stay there.

With him.

_OH._

Wait just a second...

Her son...that is, her  _socially challenged_  son Ryoma cared about something other than tennis, ponta, sleeping, Karupin, or Japanese food. Though she supposed Japanese food probably came with Sakuno...

Still...that was actually  _a really big deal_.

Sakuno could very well be the only female on earth he'd get close to... _ever_. She'd ran away, Ryoma had found her...at what cost they didn't know, but he was obviously against her leaving, even using force to keep her there.

She looked at the young couple sitting across from her and the determined look on her son's face. The very look she'd only ever seen when it meant he was going to win a tennis match or die trying.

And suddenly, _she knew._  There was no battle to it, there was no question about it.

If they even tried to separate these two now, her son would drop the world to find her again. He would throw everything away for her. In a heartbeat, he would do it.

_He'd sworn to be her protector. It was so glaringly obvious, how had she missed it?_

She had no doubt that he had. After all...she knew her son.

Rinko felt a sense of sadness as well as relief in that realization. She was sad to realize that her baby boy was now a man, but she was happy that he was going to be a good man. A man that would move mountains for those he loved. And she was relieved...

Relieved that Ryoma had chosen a beautiful, sweet, capable old family friend's daughter to join their family. When all was said and done, Ryuzaki Sakuno was perfect for him. She couldn't have chosen better for him herself.

That was all there was to it...they'd have to let them stay together, or Ryoma's tennis career could be jeopardized as he chased after her. In fact, it was a damn good thing Ryoma had apparently found the girl, wherever it was she'd disappeared to recently.

Okay so yeah, they were fairly young, but it would be all right. They were already sixteen, Sakuno was old enough to be married, it wouldn't even be two years before Ryoma would be eighteen. She could talk about it with Sakuno's parents tomorrow, and get the kids to fill out the family registry before they went back to America.

_It could work..._

Rinko turned back towards Ryoma and Sakuno and said, "Sakuno-chan..."

As Sakuno looked up at Rinko, she gave the younger woman a gentle smile and said, "Welcome to the family."


	10. Chapter Ten

**Coming Home**

By: Bunny

Rated: Teen 15 and up

Genre: Romance, Drama

Summary: RyoSaku. At the start of high school, Sakuno is forced to leave Seigaku. Trying to move on proves to be impossible.

* * *

 

Chapter Ten

* * *

It was all...very strange, Sakuno thought. She was really, truly, in the last place she ever thought she'd end up in.

Sleeping in a guestroom at the Echizen house.

Not that she was sleeping. She was still  _very_  wound up over the whole evening she'd had. From Ryoma showing up at work, to the confrontation with Nishimura Akihiko, to the somewhat frank discussion with Ryoma, onto the horribly embarrassing discussion with Ryoma's parents, and finally the brief phone call with her own parents. She'd been through an emotional roller coaster that evening like no other. She kind-of felt like she'd been smacked, hugged, ran over, left in a ditch, fished out of said ditch and then dropped into a hotel to sleep it all off.

Not exactly a picnic.

Still, being at Ryoma's house again...was  _odd_. It was doubly odd knowing she would be living there from this night forward, but what really had her reeling was simply  _being there_.

Again.

The last time she'd been there...well...

To add further embarrassment to that was the fact that tonight Ryoma's parents were there too, just down the hallway.

She rolled over and placed her palm against the wall...what  _really_  had her heart thumping like she was having a panic attack was the thought that on the other side of  _this wall_ , was Ryoma's room.

She could hear him too, he was puttering about. She could hear every footstep and the sounds of him opening and closing drawers. He was muttering something too, which was probably fairly loud if you were in his room, but since there was a wall separating them, all she could make out was the sound of his voice. Knowing Ryoma, it was probably all in English so she wouldn't understand it anyways. Why did he always have to speak in English when he was riled up? It wasn't like it was his first language. Hmm...maybe it was something more simple, like they had more swear words...

She choked out a giggle at that thought. Surprised at the sound of her own voice, she placed her other hand over her mouth. With a returning wave of melancholy, she gave the wall a deep sigh.

Ryoma's bedroom door opened and closed, the few steps between his room and the guest room she was in were closed and a second later her door was opening.

Sakuno sat up and looked at Ryoma's silhouette created from the hall light streaming into the darkness of the room.

He closed the door behind him. Keeping the room in darkness he made his way over to the bed, put his arms around her and effortlessly swept her up to her feet.

"You're going to sleep in your dress?" He asked amusedly, keeping his arms around her as she automatically slouched into him.

"I don't have anything else," She replied dryly.

He steadied her onto her feet and then taking one of her hands pulled her in the direction of the door.

"Where are we going?" Sakuno asked.

"My room."

Sakuno shook her head vehemently, even though it was completely lost on Ryoma, not only because the room was dark, but also because his back was to her as he continued to pull her along.

"A-Auntie-"

Ryoma stopped and turning toward her whispered conspiratorially, "You don't think they really expect you to sleep in here alone, do you?"

Sakuno was grateful for the darkness as she felt herself flush red from head to toe.  _Oh my_. "I-I do actually."

"Mada mada dane," He let out a huff. As he opened the door he turned back and whispered, "Be quiet then."

Sakuno's eyes widened and she held her breath as Ryoma quietly led her out of the guestroom and into his considerably larger bedroom. He closed both of the doors softly. She took in his blue pajama bottoms and bare chest as he shuffled her into his room towards his bed.

The lights in his room were dimmed to a soft glow and he'd laid out a couple of his larger t-shirts on top of his comforter. He gestured towards the clothing, "Pick one."

Sakuno allowed herself to crack a small smile of delight at his thoughtfulness and selected the one that looked the softest and most worn in as Ryoma added, "Tomorrow, we can go get your things."

He was standing very close to her, almost touching every inch of her side as he reached his hand out and stroked the backs of his fingers down the side of her bare arm.

She glanced up at him with slightly watery eyes, his t-shirt hanging in one hand by the neck, her brown maid dress sans petticoat still on and said, "I don't have much."

He was relaxed, she could tell, his hazel eyes were a warm green and his gaze was steady, all of his attention focused on her. It was kind-of surreal. Ryoma had always been so focused in the past on not much besides tennis to the point that having all of his attention on herself was a bit disconcerting. She didn't know what to do.

His hand had moved from her arm to her back and was at the base of her neck, lightly tugging down on the zipper of her dress, "Do you want some help?"

She blushed slightly, but turned her back towards him and lifted her hair up so he could see, "Thank you."

She felt his fingers brush against the bare skin of her back here and there as he slowly zipped open her dress. She removed her arms from the sleeves and let it drop to the floor, keeping her back to him and then lifted his shirt and slipped it over her head. She pulled her loose hair from the shirt and then leaned down and picked her dress up from the floor. Shaking it out she zipped the back up again and laid it across the back of the chair tucked into Ryoma's desk. As she turned back towards the room from his desk, she found herself engulfed in his arms.

"Are you okay, Sakuno?" He asked softly.

She flushed and wondered what he was referring to exactly. It was a fairly loaded question, considering everything.

She relaxed into his embrace and finally said just as softly, "I don't know."

"Hn."

They held each other in silence for a few minutes. Finally, he steered her to his bed, tossed the other shirt on the floor and tucked her in before walking back toward the door and turning off the overhead lights completely. In the moonlit darkness, he made his way back to his bed and climbed in with her.

She was moving as he got in, her hands under his shirt she was wearing behind her back, then reaching through the sleeves one at a time and he wondered at it, until her bra came through the second sleeve.

_Ah._

She leaned across him to drop her bra on the floor and he grabbed her around the middle, pulling her down on top of him. She floundered for a second, so he flipped her over quickly so she could lay on her back and at his quick movement her elbow struck the wall. She let out a nervous giggle as he snorted in amusement.  _Damn, it was good to be together._

"Sorry," and then he was kissing her.

* * *

The elder Echizens were in their master bedroom down the hall, talking quietly about the changes that had happened since they'd left Japan. They were trying to work out what would happen to the teenagers after they left when they heard a slight bump and then giggling from Ryoma's room down the hallway.

Nanjiro gave a wicked grin of male pride in his son to his wife as she blushed slightly and shook her head, " _I didn't hear that_."

Nanjiro's smirk widened, "Sure, sure."

Early the next morning, Nanjiro woke at the crack of dawn with a grin. He went to the bathroom and quickly went through his morning ritual, dressed and hustled down the hallway to Ryoma's room. He gave a slight knock on the door and listened to the rustling inside for a second before opening the door with a grin.

"Good morning, Seishounen!" He took in Ryoma sitting up without his shirt on, his lower half still under the covers, the lump of covers next to him with brown wavy locks over the top, and articles of clothing on the floor. He looked at his son again and watched his son's expression sour as he added gleefully, "And Sakuno-chan."

Ryoma put the arm closest to Sakuno over the lump she made with the covers as she squeaked in response to his father's taunting. He closed his eyes in annoyance for a moment and with a shooing wave of his other hand said irritably, "Get out already, Old Man."

"I forgot to tell you kids something important last night," Nanjiro said.

"What."

"Sakuno-chan's parents said she can stay here alone with you, but only if you two are engaged."

From under the covers Sakuno let out a scandalous, "They didn't!" At the same time Ryoma said, "Fine."

_"Ryoma!"_  The covers protested.

Ryoma pat the lump with some force, "Stop pretending you aren't in love with me."

The covers shook for a second, and Nanjiro watched with untold amusement before the top of Sakuno's head appeared, glaring at his son.

"It's marriage," She said.

_"What did you think I was talking about with you yesterday?"_

Father and son both watched as the small part of Sakuno that was visible turned a dark shade of red, it even showed through to the roots of the hair on her head.

A second later, the top of her head disappeared again under the comforter. After a few seconds of incomprehensible mutterings, Sakuno stammered, "O-okay then."

"Great. I know Rinko already said it, but really... _welcome to the family Sakuno-chan!"_

The covers on the bed quivered before a tiny voice said softly, "Ah - thank you, uncle."

"Oh, Sakuno-chan. Just call me Papa, and bake cookies and give me kisses when I come visit and-"

Nanjiro observed with glee as his son's face flushed red with anger at his words.  _"Get out!"_  He yelled, interrupting Nanjiro's cute daughter-in-law fantasy instructions.

"Okay, okay!" Nanjiro said as he backed out of the doorway and closed the door. He gave his son's bedroom door a grin and then walked down the hallway whistling happily.

_What a cute son and daughter-in-law he had!_

* * *

Ryoma on the other hand had woken up to the slight noises in the house coming from his old man being awake. He wasn't used to having other people in the house anymore. Remembering what all had happened the day before, his eyes shot open, his heart beating frantically in panic, and his mind spinning with doubt. He whipped his head to the side to make sure Sakuno was still there.

She was.

Good. Oh good, oh good, oh good, he thought as his pulse rate relaxed. He took a deep, calming breath.

He might have killed her if she'd left him again,  _really_. He wrapped an arm around her bare midsection and pulled her sleeping form up against his body, reveling in her warmth.  _This was more like it._

If his parents weren't there...this would be  _perfect_.

Soon enough. Soon enough they would be gone. Sakuno would be there with him and they would have their shared high school experiences, go to the US Open together that summer, and every year from then on...and all the other tournaments he'd start doing after he was eighteen and graduated. From now on...she'd be there by his side, always  _no matter what_.

He'd make sure of it.

* * *

THE END

* * *

Okay, so I just have a few things I'd like to say with regards to this story and to this plot, the circumstances, etc.

First of all, as I'm sure many of you already know, date rape is no joke. It's a really big problem in the big bad world, as well as rape in general, and there are a lot of emotional issues tied into it. (For both the victim and the attacker in some circumstances as well, I'm sure.) One of the biggest emotional problems stems from the circumstances of date rape, and that is that it's common for victims of date rape to be discredited when they speak out about it. Sadly, they usually know their attackers well, and as a result people are torn between sides and who to believe. There are probably some terrible girls that are all like The Crucible about date rape, and that's really terrible because they fuel the unbelievability of real victims, but in the end, the most important thing is to be supportive and give an ear to those that say this has happened to them. Real trauma can't really be faked, no matter how good of an actress some drama queens may be, and you should be able to discern through conversation despite how well or not you may know someone that claims to be a victim if they really are or not. One of the most damaging things someone can do though is not believe them. It is a battle for victims to speak about it at all. For most females something like rape, be it date rape or another form of rape get wrapped up in shame, guilt and embarrassment. For many victims, the emotional trauma never truly goes away and it changes them to at least some degree for the rest of their lives. If you have been a victim of rape, make sure you talk about it, even if you only ever pray about it because you don't want to talk about it with people, but for you own good, get it off your chest in one way or another instead of bottling it up inside, and never, ever, EVER, EVER blame yourself. You were NOT asking for it, and any guy that says otherwise is a severely lacking in self control bastard. If he's really THAT horny there are other ways than RAPING someone, so don't ever ever ever blame yourself. FORCE should NEVER come into play in an act of LOVE. If you know someone that has been raped, please always support them, and remember one of the most important things is to support them the way they want to be supported. Not every girl or woman needs or wants you to be their so-called knight in shining armor that takes on the world about it. Sometimes all they really need is someone that understands and that will help them chase away their fears, not someone out for revenge or justice on the matter. If they do want justice, then support that of course, but I'm just saying, make sure you support and love others the way they want to be loved and supported, not the way YOU want to love and support them. I didn't write this story to make a statement or get preachy, but after reading the emotional reactions many of you had to Sakuno's almost-rape I felt a responsibility I didn't realize I was taking on in writing this, so I felt the need to give some information on this, especially since I have both friends and family that I know that have been victims of rape and I've seen first hand the effects of it.

Secondly, the other thing I feel responsible to talk about is having sex before you're married. I just wanted to say that even though this story has Ryoma and Sakuno being naughty children and even though I personally was not a virgin when I got married, I want to be clear that I'm not an advocate of fornication. As a married person I can say that I really honestly have regrets and that I DO wish with all my heart that I had waited until I was married to have sex. I wish that for my both my husband and myself that we were both each other's firsts in everything. Now, while this fanfic has the happy ending (as do all my romance stories whether there's sex before marriage or not) of our dear couple getting married anyways, when it comes to real life, it's much more in the "fantasy" realm. Not the part about people having sex before they get married, but about marrying your first sexual partner, especially if you get started at a young age. It's very rare that you'll meet married couples that are really high school sweethearts, especially in this day and age, and especially that they remain married if they do get married, and especially ones that had sex before they were married. I do try to keep my stories somewhat realistic, which is why sometimes I write that they do the deed before they get married; in this fic for example it made sense to me because Sakuno got messed up in the head from what happened with Akihiko. However, I don't want to encourage that romantic fantasy into real life. At the end of the day a fiction story is fiction. If you want real life guidance, talk to people about how their real life romances have gone. :) Make no mistake, I'm not trying to ruin romance for you all, there are real princes and princesses out there to be married to! I have a prince myself, we've been married for 12 years, and we're a real love match. Real true love exists. There is someone out there perfect for YOU. Someone that will know all your flaws and love you anyways, and you should  _never settle for less._ Plus, like I said, if you are still a virgin and you really want a happy marriage with no skeletons in the closet, my 20-20 hindsight advise is - save yourself for when you're married to your true love, you will  _never_  regret it. If you don't...you will most likely have regrets. Anyways...for those of you that aren't married and aren't virgins anymore, rest assured, I'm the last person to judge you, and I hope you always find happiness in romance. For those of you that are married like myself, I wish you happiness as well. Yay for happy families. ^_^

Now I will get off my soapbox. :D

I would love to hear from all of you readers out there about your thoughts on the story or what I've shared. Also...just to throw it out there, my inbox is ALWAYS open if you want support or someone to talk to. Sometimes it's easier to tell someone that for all intents and purposes is a stranger about the messed up stuff in your life than it is to tell someone you're close to, so by all means...if you all didn't know already, I'm here if any of you should ever need someone to talk to over serious things or silly things. I can listen, I can give advise. I'm by no means perfect or know everything, but I'm always ready to do my best to help out my fellow humans. :)

xoxo Bunny


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